It was a sweltering June day in Los Angeles County when Suzette Hall received a worrisome call from two of her fellow dog rescuers, Dora and Arturo Flores. As founder of Logan’s Legacy 29, Hall’s helped save plenty of pups from heartbreaking situations,
but this case in particular felt most concerning.
According to Dora and Arturo, there was a small dog covered in layers of matted fur running around the street — and it seemed he was ducking under parked vehicles for refuge.
“[He was] hiding under a car in the unbearable heat, suffering in silence,” Suzette Hall wrote on Facebook. “The entire body [was] covered in what appears to be years of severe matting. So much matting that we can’t even tell if this sweet baby is a boy or a girl.”
Arturo and Dora quickly realized that the dog’s matted fur was painful for him. He could barely move his legs, seemingly weighed down by the heavy cluster of knots — but the couple refused to leave without him.
They gently coaxed the pup out from under the car until finally, the sweet boy was safe in their arms and headed back to their air-conditioned truck. The poor baby was exhausted and overheated, but he was alive. And what Hall’s team found next shocked them.
“He has a microchip,” Hall wrote. “[But] nobody is calling back.”
It appeared that the dog, whose name on the microchip was Lucky, had a family at some point. But no one ever answered to claim him, so Hall decided to take him in for good, changing his name to JIN.
Soon after arriving at Camino Pet Hospital, JIN was placed under anesthesia and underwent hours of razor hair removal. His transformation was stunning, leaving everyone at the clinic in awe.
“I still can’t believe what this sweet soul has endured,” Hall wrote on Facebook. “It appears he may have never had a haircut in his entire life.”
In addition to his haircut, JIN received a full checkup in which the vet team found a fatty lump and some issues with his eyes. Still, the pup’s prognosis was good. And at an estimated age of 11 years old, his new caregivers were amazed by his resilience.
“Who knows how long he suffered under cars in the scorching heat, trapped inside all that matting, in agony and pain with no way to ask for help,” Hall wrote. “But those days are over now.”
You can see more of JIN’s transformation here:
JIN soon went to a foster home, where he’s been thriving ever since.
“He is finally coming out of his shell,” Hall told The Dodo.
Now that he’s feeling better, JIN is finally looking for a forever home. Hall is confident that a loving family will come along soon, and she can’t wait to see him get his happily-ever-after. In the meantime, she remains in awe of the way JIN has transformed, both inside and out.
“He was so scared of human touch, but now he is loving every minute of it,” Hall said.
