For the rescue team with the RSPCA, it was hard to believe that Barney was a dog covered in a mat because you couldn’t tell clearly if it was a dog under the mat. He needed as much care as possible.

Source Image:RSPCA

“[He was] extremely matted, with large clumps of fur hanging from him,” Tina Nash, an inspector with the RSPCA, said in her witness statement. “The dog didn’t smell very nice and it made me want to graduate.”

Source Image: RSPCA

Poor Barney had not had the care of his owner for a whole year, as he believed that a dog like Barney’s breed, a Russian terrier, did not need him. The team was unable to see his face because of the mask.

He looked tired with all the extra weight he was carrying and so his rescuers got to work shaving everything off as fast as they could.

Source Image: RSPCA

This process took a long time and when all was said and done, the team had removed 17 kilograms of fur from Barney.

“The dog was made to carry a coat that weighed approximately 21 [percent] of its body weight while moving,” the veterinarian who helped Barney said in a statement. “The weight of this coat would have increased significantly when the dog was wet.”

Source Image: RSPCA

After all the excess geof was removed, the rescue team could now make out his sweet little face. He clearly seemed to be relieved of all that heavy weight and very soon recovered himself being under the care of all his new friends.

Now residing in a private boarding facility, Barney is on the cusp of a new chapter in his life. Ready for adoption, he can’t wait for the chance to join a loving forever home where he can fully embrace the joys of life, unencumbered by the weight of his past.

Barney’s story is not just a tale of rescue but a testament to resilience and the transformative power of compassion.