SEAL BEACH, Calif. _ It's a shaggy dog story. But instead of rambling along pointlessly, this tale comes to a happy conclusion _ albeit after a harrowing start.
The Seal Beach Animal Care Center recently took in 15 filthy long-haired dogs ranging in age from, approximately, 2 to 7 years old. The mutts, which appear to be poodle mixes, had spent their entire lives practically piled on top of each other in a small outdoor enclosure, said Jane Parnes, lead volunteer at the shelter.
Parnes declined to say who rescued the dogs or where they were found. "They appear to be from several litters," Parnes said. "They are clearly related."
The little dogs arrived toting more than a pound of fur each _ about one-tenth of their body weights.
Their coats, intended by nature to be white, were brown and matted. Tangled tresses completely obscured their faces. When shelter workers groomed the pups, their knotted fur came off in single dog-shaped clumps.
"All that hair had to be painful for them," Parnes said.
The dogs grew up in a cramped pen, she said. "The area had no covering to protect them from rain and sun. They had little interaction with humans, just a bowl of dirty water and some food."
The owner asked if he could keep one of the dogs, Parnes said. Rescuers turned down his request.
"I've been here 18 years and I've seen all sorts of things, including cigarette burns," she said. "These dogs may not have scars, but theirs is some of the worst abuse I've ever seen. The sad thing is, lots of dogs live in similar situations."
Despite their grim back story, the dogs are sweet.
"They are in various stages of being scared," Parnes said. "But they all wag their tails and give kisses. They love being held."
At first, Parnes thought the shelter would hang on to the dogs for a few weeks to acclimate them to humans. Some were under treatment for eye infections.
But at least three have already been adopted: Shannon, Quinn and Rainbow.
"People fall in love with these dogs," Parnes said.
Of course, Parnes hopes that every shaved shaggy dog will end up with loving owners.
"But then," she added, "I wish all of our dogs and cats could find homes."
