The other day, a small dog escaped from his front yard in Southern California. As the pup wandered the streets, the sun intensified and warmed the sidewalk under his paws. For any dog, the heat would be uncomfortable — but, for the heavily matted pup, Max, it was unbearable.

Luckily, a Good Samaritan spotted him just in time. They called Suzette Hall, founder of Logan’s Legacy dog rescue for help, and soon the pup was safe.

When she first laid eyes on Max, Hall assumed that he’d been abandoned since he was buried under layers of matted fur and didn’t quite know where to go. But as soon as she held the pup in her arms, she realized that he had a home.

The rescuer returned Max to his house and learned just why his fur was so matted.

“His family was so worried about him,” Hall told The Dodo. “They truly loved him and wanted to get him groomed, but everyone turned him away because of his behavior. And economically, they couldn’t afford to groom him with anesthesia.”

Max’s family could tell that the pup’s fur was uncomfortable, and they desperately wanted to help him. But, unfortunately, the type of grooming Max needed was outside of their budget.

So, Logan’s Legacy stepped in.

“He was so incredibly matted,” Hall said. “So we covered his grooming with anesthesia.”

While the pup slept peacefully, a dedicated veterinary team carefully shaved away all of the dense mats weighing on Max. By the end of the appointment, they’d removed approximately 2 pounds of fur from the tiny dog’s body.

Max was relieved to have his mats removed, but nothing was more elating than reuniting with his loved ones after his haircut.

“I can’t even tell you how excited he was,” Hall said. “He was jumping up and down when I took him back home to his family.”

As exciting as it was for Max, his much-needed transformation brought a wave of emotions over his family.

“His family was all crying,” Hall said. “It was absolutely beautiful.”

Now that Logan’s Legacy has helped free Max from his mats, they plan on staying in his life as a support pillar when needed. Thanks to the rescue, Max’s community of loved ones has grown.

“We’re going to be following up once a month and helping to make sure that he never gets like that again,” Hall said. “Now, he has a whole new world to explore and a new rescue behind him. It feels so good to help somebody in need.”