Neglected dog looks unrecognisable after getting hair shaved

A neglected dog looks like a different animal after rescuers shaved off 35 pounds of its overgrown hair.

See also: Puppy neglected by breeder makes astonishing recovery

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Seven-year-old Lazarus was trapped inside a small barn for years, unable to move or play.

According to the Big Fluffy Dog Rescue, the Great Pyrenees dog spent his entire life as a prisoner in a barn in the Nashville, Tennessee area.

"You cannot imagine the squalor in which this dog lived, and there are no words adequate to convey this horror," has been posted on the rescue organisation's Facebook page. "The person who owned him simply threw over his food and water to him. Conditions were so awful they had to shovel faeces to even be able to open the door to get him out."

A relation of the dog's owner – who it's believed has mental health problems – contacted the local animal rescue to free the dog from its terrible living conditions.

Groomers removed an astounding 35 pounds of hair from Lazarus and found that the dog has a broken tail and several tumours.

"He has a long way to go to get healthy and happy as he is currently unable to walk normally from both the condition of the fur and the effects of long confinement," stated a rescue volunteer.

Lazarus is currently receiving lots of love and attention in a foster home, before being put up for adoption to find his forever home.