In April of 2019, the Richmond SPCA’s admission team brought in one of the most shocking cases of neglect they’ve ever encountered.Although Lionheart was a dog, you could barely tell. The seven-year-old pooch was covered in pounds of mats, feces and urine, and had clearly been neglected for quite some time. The filthy mats were so thick, that he was unable to walk, eat or drink.

The SPCA’s first step was to shave away years of matted fur and heartache off of Lionheart, but in order to do that, they had to sedate him.After several hours of shaving, they finally began to uncover a little dog underneath the mess. The vet team not only shaved him, but also cleaned his sores and clipped his nails.For the first time in his life, Lionheart was receiving the care he’s always deserved.

Once he was free from the weight and discomfort from all those mats, his loving personality quickly began to shine. Lionheart had so much life in him, and he loved every single person he met.

Since Lionheart is so sweet, it didn’t take long for him to find a forever home!

Lionheart is now living with a loving family, getting all of the love and care in the world. The couple decided to rename him Cody.