When Irie was first taken up by a local animal shelter, she was a scruffy little ball of matted fur. The panicked Maltese mix’s face and torso were completely covered in knots, which rendered her unrecognizable. She wanted a makeover so that she could feel more like herself again, and maybe find a home for herself as well.
Irie was thus groomed by the shelter just before Rhode Home Rescue took over responsibility for her care.
And everyone was quite aback by what they discovered behind the hair.
Irie’s foster mother, Hilary Gillinder, told The Dodo that animal control performed an outstanding job with the shave Irie received. “She submitted to them shaving her for around forty-five minutes before she began to get anxious. The remaining tasks had to be completed in short spurts both at that location and at my home after she returned.
They tried their best to chisel away at the debris until Irie’s gorgeous face was eventually shown, but no one knew anything about Irie’s history or how her fur became so matted up. No one understood how it happened, either.
When the larger pieces of hair had been removed, Irie was left with some mats that needed to be trimmed away with scissors. Since it is already coming back in, she will need to have another haircut very soon. In the meanwhile, she is continuing her efforts to master the art of trusting individuals who are concerned for her well-being.
According to Gillinder, “She is very afraid of males in general and is paralyzed with terror whenever she is around boy dogs in particular.” “We don’t know precisely what happened to her before she came to us, but at this point, all we can do is help her develop and make up for any wrongdoing she endured by being kind and nice to her.”
The 11-pound puppy doesn’t make much noise, but it does love the occasional journey in the vehicle and playing with plush toys. In addition to that, Gillander listens to music whenever she needs to calm down.
Gillinder stated, “I’m so proud of how far she’s come since I first acquired her.” “I’m so pleased with how far she’s gone.” “She began avoiding being in close proximity to me and even barked at me through the bars of her kennel. Today, she follows me wherever I go and really loves climbing up on the sofa and playing in the blankets which are so nice!
At some point in the future, Irie will let her true self come through, but at least she won’t be weighed down by the mats anymore.
Gillinder expressed her sorrow by stating, “It’s awful to think of what she must have gone through.” “Her life is going to be more challenging than that of most dogs. But she is wanting to be adopted into a family that will love and care for her forever.