Matted dog surrendered to Arizona shelter gets a makeover. See the transformation
Atlas showed up at the Arizona Humane Society with the worst mats one groomer had ever seen.
Now, the adorable and “bright-eyed” pup has a new look and a new family.
The 6-year-old Maltese was given up by his family in December because they were moving and couldn’t care for him, the shelter’s spokesperson, Kelsey Dickerson, told McClatchy News by email Jan. 15.
At the time, his name was Reggie, and he weighed 13 pounds — mats and all, according to a news release from the shelter.
“He was just covered in mats. It was basically one entire mat,” Amitie Davis, a groomer at the shelter, said in the release.
Groomers quickly got to work on his transformation.
“Reggie’s case was definitely the worst I’ve groomed…it was so thick and the top layer had so much feces on it that it was hard to get through. It was a very long process,” Davis said.
Once the thick coat of matted hair was removed from the pup, he weighed a pound less than he did before, the shelter said.
He got about a week of care from the shelter’s Lazin Animal Foundation Trauma Hospital before being adopted on Dec. 21, Dickerson said.
“Despite the way he came to AHS, he has always been loving and trusting towards humans with a big smile on his face and a wagging tail,” Dickerson said.
Atlas is now “living the good life in his loving forever home” in Gilbert, Dickerson said.
What to know about his new home
Andrew Frederick and his partner were looking for a small dog to adopt when they saw Atlas at the shelter. He was shaved, had “cute little eyes” and was wearing a sweater to keep him warm.
“He was friendly from the get-go, you know, and just a happy dog,” Frederick said.
The couple decided to adopt him after previously owning two chihuahuas. Both had died, and one had been over 17 years old, he said.
After the deaths of their beloved dogs, Frederick’s partner started volunteering at the humane society.
Then in December, Frederick said it was time to get a new dog.
“We’re so happy that we picked him because we couldn’t have picked a better dog,” Frederick said.
Atlas is very sociable and loves to greet people when he’s out on walks. He also does “fairly well” with other dogs, he said.
The pup is in obedience school now, Frederick said, to help him with some small things like learning how to walk better on a leash.
“He’s been a really excellent dog, and we love him to pieces. And we’re so happy that we got him,” Frederick said.
Gilbert is in the Phoenix metro area.
This story was originally published January 16, 2025 at 9:48 AM.
