Poor pup Sang Su was found on the streets of Chicago, USA, by an animal rescue organization named Trio Animal Foundation.

The stray immediately caught their attention for one reason alone: It was impossible to discern what breed he was. Put plainly, the dog was hiding within his own fur. We’ll never know what sort of life he lived on the streets, but it hardly seems like it was sunshine and roses for the loveable pooch.

Today, pictures of Sang Su have spread around the internet like wildfire, shocking people all over the world, according to ABC Chicago. Take one look at the mess of hair – which was heavy with the stench of urine – and you’ll realize exactly why …

The local TV channel reported that rescuers had trouble telling where the dog’s face and ears were when they first picked him up.

That’s how much of a state he’d been allowed to get into.

It was in late September that Sang Su was taken under the wing of the Trio Animal Foundation.

He weighed in at just over 26 pounds when he arrived.

Before they could even begin the process of cleaning and cutting poor Sang Su, they first had to soak him with water to help remove the smell of urine.

It was so strong, it burned the noses of those nearby.

“It would take four members of Sang Su’s medical team, working simultaneously, two hours to cut though his matted fur,” Sue Naiden, president of the Trio Animal Foundation, told The Dodo.

“In all, Sang Su had over 3 pounds of fur cut away from his body.”

In total, over 3 pounds of fur was cut away from Sang Su’s body.

Eventually, it transpired that under all the muck and filth; under the shaggy quilt of tangled fur, an excitable little cocker spaniel was hiding.

This is what Sang Su looked like by the time they were done:

What a cutie!

And what wonderful eyes he has!

Although it’s clear that Sang Su’s condition has greatly improved since he was rescued from the streets, he still has a fair way to go, according to ABC. His ears are infected and have wounds on them, whilst his skin and eyes are also infected, having remained trapped under his fur for so long.

Slowly but surely, however, he is progressing. Sang Su has now started to eat a little better!

He’s also made two new friends.

Here he is meeting another dog, Eeyore.

‘Eeyore would like to play’, Trio Animal Foundation write on their post.