Many rescue centers in the United States specialize in dog rescue, but most rescue centers do not have enough capacity to accommodate all the puppies in need.
Animal Rescue Center of California (ARCC), located in Indio, California, only cares for stray dogs. But recently, I found myself in a dilemma when I received a call from a woman who had to give up her Havanese puppy.
However, seeing this very confused dog’s condition, they decided to make an exception. They just had to help this poor nine-month-old boy.
Hidden beauty
Close-up photo of a very matted puppy
When people at the rescue center first saw the puppy, they thought it weighed between 25 and 30 pounds. However, they soon realized that they had been wrong to take him away. So one can only imagine the amount of fur he was wearing. Kirk Geiger, director of the center, said in an ARCC video that this is not just a problem with this puppy. He said every part of his body needed care, from his skin to his hair and nails.
That’s why they decided to call in a specialist, a woman named Lucy, who runs a grooming salon in Indio, California. They believed that only she was capable of solving this problem.
Although she immediately saw that a difficult task awaited her, Lucy was up for the challenge. The grooming session took a very long time, and Lucy had to use all her skills, but in the end, she managed to make magic happen.
After she removed the two-inch-thick fur, an entirely new puppy emerged. He finally revealed his hidden beauty that swept everyone present off their feet.
New Beginning
As this represented his new beginning, they decided to give him a new name as well. From that moment on, the puppy was called Dobbey, and he never took the smile off his face.
After being sad for so long because of the state he was in, Dobbey became the happiest dog in the world. He was full of gratitude to his rescuers, never stopped playing with his canine friends at the center, and showered everyone with lots of kisses.
All he needed was a new home, but he didn’t have to wait long for that either. A month after he was admitted to the rescue center, a Facebook post with the happy news appeared.
“Dobbey has been adopted! Happy ending for this little guy,” ARCC wrote. “We knew it wouldn’t be long before he was adopted.”
His adopters, Catherin and Mark, moved from New York City to the desert during the pandemic, and after a year and a half, they decided they were ready to adopt their first dog. As soon as they saw Dobbey, they immediately knew that he was the right one.
Dobbey is now called Riley, and he is surrounded with so much love. When his new hair fully grows, it will be a symbol of his new life in which his beauty will never be hidden again.
