Mutt finds a home in happy end to shaggiest dog story
A NEGLECTED dog that arrived at a rescue centre with fur so matted it “looked like an Ewok from Star Wars” has been rehomed after being given a makeover.
Rupert, an 11-year-old shih-tzu, was found wandering the streets after being abandoned and was in such a bad state that he could barely see.
Staff at the Blue Cross animal charity said he looked more like an Ewok from Star Wars than a dog when he arrived at their rehoming centre in Burford, Oxon.
But after a two-hour grooming session to shave off his thick dreadlocks Rupert looked like a new dog.
And it took him just 13 days before he won the hearts of David and Doreen Connop who saw a photo of him online.
The couple offered Rupert a home with them in their village in Bromyard, Herefordshire.
Grandmother-of-six Doreen, 70, said: “The photo of him where he looked like an Ewok was dreadful, absolutely dreadful. I was very sad for what he’d been through.
“He’s a lovely little dog. He’s been brilliant. We wouldn’t part with Rupert for anything, he’s just gorgeous.”
Laura Crofts, from the Blue Cross, said: “Poor Rupert was in such a story state when he arrived with us. It was an appalling case of neglect, and we were worried that his little soul would be shattered.
“But as soon as he was cleaned up and he realised that he was safe, we saw the bubbly and affectionate dog he was.”