A blind and deaf dog dumped by at the side of a canal, with fur so matted that he resembled a pile of rags, has undergone a life-changing transformation, which has not only given him a new lease on life but a forever home and a “girlfriend.”
Shih Tzu Morris, as named by his rescuers, was first spotted on March 25 next to a bench near Ashton Canal at Portland Basin, in Ashton-under-Lyme, Greater Manchester, England, by a walker who thought he looked like a pile of rags, according to an RSPCA press release. Getting closer, the passerby was shocked to discover the “pile” was actually a terrified dog in a deplorable state.
RSPCA inspector Ryan King said: “As he wasn’t moving, he thought the poor pet was already dead. On closer inspection, he realized he was breathing, but his fur was so heavy and matted he appeared unable to move and was obviously terrified. ”
The walker scooped up the abandoned dog and took him home before heading to a nearby vet, who called the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA)—the largest charity in England and Wales investigating cruelty and saving animals in need. Mr. King arrived and took the Shih Tzu to the RSPCA’s Greater Manchester Animal Hospital for emergency care.
“Vets at the animal hospital later found he was blind in one eye with glaucoma, and had very little sight due to cataracts, so it is not surprising he would have been too terrified to move from where he was abandoned,” he said.
Staff then removed a massive 1.3 kilograms (2.8 pounds) of dirty, matted fur, which amounted to 10% of Morris’s overall body weight. Sadly, they were unable to save his sight, but the little dog’s life had already changed for the better. Morris was moved to the RSPCA’s Lancashire East branch and spent five months in rehabilitation.
Fostering coordinator Sue Abraham said: “He was always so lovely in spite of all he had been through, and all the staff here really loved him, especially when he used to play with his tennis ball in the reception area.”
He was then placed in a foster home where he could learn to adapt more to his blindness.
“His foster mom led Morris around the house on a lead until he got to know where everything was, and even adapted her garden for him as he kept falling from a small wall,” Ms. Abraham said.
Once he was a perfect picture of health, the staff set about trying to find a home that Morris could call home.
When Josephine Newhall, 82, of Wythenshawe applied to adopt Morris in August, the staff knew Morris had struck gold. Ms. Newhall lives in a one-story home with a garden that was the perfect safe space for Morris to navigate.
“He doesn’t let these disabilities hold him back at all,” Ms. Newhall said referring to Morris’s personality. “Morris is a beautiful little dog and enjoys snuggling up to me on the settee. He is great company, and when you think where he has come from, it is a miracle he is still here. ... I am glad he has the happy ending he deserves.”
Morris even has a new “girlfriend,” since Ms. Newhall’s daughter, 52-year-old Karen Brookes, often brings her Lhasa apso, Ruby, for playdates. Ruby can be “boisterous,” Ms. Newhall said, but the dogs are “really good friends,” and the company has boosted Morris’s confidence.
Mr. King was “delighted” to see Morris settled in a new home and loving life after his sad ordeal. “It makes my job so worthwhile,” he said, “and this is why we need people to support us to help rescue and rehome more dogs like Morris.”
The person responsible for abandoning Morris hasn’t yet been found.
