by When Kari Falla saw the photo of Lucky the dog just after he was rescued from a busy road, she knew immediately she had to help him. The groomer has helped rescue dogs before, but she could tell from the condition of his fur he needed some “serious help ASAP” and that she “wouldn’t let him suffer a second longer”.
Kari reached out to Lucky’s rescuers the very same day he was rescued and told them to come by her salon at midnight so she could groom him right away. Lucky was covered from head to toe with matted fur and was so dirty and caked hard that it was like he was encased in concrete.
“When he was brought to us by the transporter, he couldn’t even walk,” she described upon seeing Luck for the first time. “He was carried in. His hair was so matted they became casts all over his body. He could not walk let alone wag his tail. He could not poop, his butt was sewed shut with matting. He couldn’t feel you touching him, the mats were so thick it was insane. He was suffering.”
“Pictures don’t even come close to showing how bad these mats were,” Kari wrote on Facebook. “They were soaking wet, infested with fleas, full of yeast infection and attached like a mummified cast. The smell was horrendous.”
“It took two hours just to safely shave his painful mats off, two flea baths because he was so severely infested, two soothing hypoallergenic baths, and lots of love and care,” she wrote. “How cute is he?!”
“We can only imagine the amount of relief this baby is feeling after being relieved of all these painful mats! We knew it was an emergency as soon as we saw him!”
After posting Lucky’s before-and after photos, Kari’s good deed went viral.
Kari owns and operates BGE Grooming, a salon in Seminole County, Florida, and says that frequently donates her time to helping dogs like Lucky. “Our salon grooms rescue dogs for free all the time.”
Lucky was taken to the vet the next day after being freed from his fur cage and it turns out he is blind and deaf. But a video shows just how happy is now that he has gotten people’s attention.
“We were sent this video after he was groomed last night,” said Kari. “THIS is why we opened at a moment’s notice to help this little baby.”
“We are so glad everyone in our community could come together and make this happen,” she added. “Thank you to the ladies who found him, to Zach for transporting and fostering and Altamonte Vet Hospital for stepping in to help save his life! Love all of you.”
Officials are searching for Lucky’s original owner. Regardless if they are found or not, Lucky is happily with a foster family and has a whole bunch of people looking out for his well-being and will make sure he finds a loving home.
