This Isn't a Pile of Trash, It's a Dog That's About to Go Through an Incredible Transformation

It took three hours and six employees at a shelter in Quebec to clean up what you're about to see. And no, it's not a pile of trash.

A dog on the streets of Canada was in such a poor state that those who saw him might have passed by thinking it was rubbish. His legs and body were barely even recognizable, and his scared eyes peaked out above a dreadlock-cloaked snout.

He was caked in a thick layer of dirt and matted hair that nearly doubled his size, according to Quebec Hebdo (translated via Google Translate).

Image source: Society for the Protection of Animals of Quebec

"Once out of the envelope more than six pounds of matted hair of dirt, the little dog was given to a veterinarian to recover. After a few days of treatment and rehydration, the pretty little poodle shih tzu kind could be adopted by a family of Quebec, which has a similar companion," Denys Pelletier, CEO of the Society for Protection of Animals Quebec, said of the dog they nicknamed Rasta at the time.

Image source: Society for the Protection of Animals of Quebec

The photos are so dramatic that the story, which actually happened in 2011, is just getting spread around the Internet. Katherine Mac Donald, a spokeswoman for the Society for the Protection of Animals Canada, told TheBlaze that at the time, the story only got coverage in the local news but thanks to social media is gaining attention now.

Mac Donald acknowledged that this dog was an "extreme case" but said "it's not an individual case at all."

Image source: Society for the Protection of Animals of Quebec

Image source: Society for the Protection of Animals of Quebec

Though this dog did not come from a puppy mill, Mac Donald said it was in a similar state to what those dogs would look like.

"In those cases, it's more the quantity. You see rows and rows of cages full of these dogs," Mac Donald said, noting that SPA Canada tries to lobby legislators to pass laws against puppy mills and animal cruelty of domestic animals. "What we’re trying to do is explain to the population that these kind of cases are not exceptional at all. And it happens much more in Quebec than other places."

According to to Quebec Hebdo, Rasta was adopted and his owner said he was doing well but was fearful of leaving the house.

Watch this video from the SPA of Quebec, which features the transformed dog playing at the beginning of the video:

(H/T: Daily Mail)