This thread reminds me of my days at grooming school. One day a guy gets out of his car, opens the trunk, pulls out this hairy ball on the end of a leash.
The dogs feet never touched the ground, he hung him by his leash till he came into the school. He told us the dog was a poodle, he was in the basement for a year (couldn't housetrain him, so he kept him in the basement), dog had never been touched. I started on him first thing in the morning, he was so matted I couldn't tell which was the business end of the dog. That is, until I found the maggots, then I knew which end was his behind. I had to call the vet to deal with the maggots and the fleas, the dog had so many he was anemic. When I finished the dog, what I thought was a 10lb dog was a tiny 4lb poodle, and he was a cutie! When the guy finally answered my phone calls and picked up his dog, he refused the dog (said it wasn't his) and wouldn't pay his bill. I told him if he didn't pay the grooming bill and the vet bill I was calling the spca and turning him in. He left, saying "keep the damn dog, I never wanted him anyway"! That was my first toy poodle and I have loved them since! He was a sweet little guy, and I had him house trained in no time, and he lived a long, happy life with me and my children. That was in 76, more years that I care to admit.
