Benji looks like a completely different pup.
A dog who was covered with long matted fur and riddled with mites when he was saved from the streets now looks like a completely different pup.
Benji was fearful of human touch when Hope For Paws in Los Angeles received a call from a concerned nearby resident.
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But after a brief chase, rescuers managed to corner Benji and calm him down enough to place a leash around his neck and take him back to the shelter.
"Physically, he was so badly matted, covered with ticks and fleas," Hope For Paws founder Eldad Hagar wrote on YouTube. "He bit his tongue as he was struggling to escape from us, so you’ll see a little bleeding – nothing serious. Mentally: Benji was living on the streets all his life, so human contact was so hard for him to get used to."
As footage shows, staff spent hours shaving off the matted fur.
But the new look was just the beginning of the battle. Benjo remained subdued for 10 days - until he was introduced to one of his rescuer's dogs, pit bull mixes Lola and Frankie.
Slowly, his tail began wagging and he began intereacting with the dogs and his carers - a far cry from the sick stray dog that rescuers found.
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"The process took 5 months of love and care," Hagar wrote. "These things take time."
Benji is now looking for a new home. For more information on how to adopt him, contact PAL Rescue.
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