Dog Left Behind In Apartment Was So Matted He Could Barely Move

Sunny Waited. And Waited. But No One Came.

Sunny, a little poodle sat alone in an empty apartment. Day after day, he hoped someone would come back for him. But no one did.

All the furniture was gone-even his food bowls. He drank from the open toilet because he was so thirsty, and he grew skinnier by the day. His hair was so matted and dirty that he could hardly move without pain. Still, he waited.

Finally, after waiting for so long, someone found him.

"He was brought to us by an apartment complex manager who had done a final check before handing over the keys and saw that Sunny had been left in the apartment," said Cassie Lackey, community relations manager with the Humane Society of North Texas. "He was just locked inside the apartment and left to roam around."

Sunny was only two years old, but he looked like he had been through a lot. It seemed like his family hadn’t just forgotten him — they had been neglecting him for a long time, even before they moved out.

His fur was filthy and crawling with bugs. The mats on his legs were so tight, he could barely walk.

“When we gently lifted the fur from his face, he just winced,” Lackey said. “His body didn’t move at all-just his eyes.” 

That’s when a kind groomer from PetSmart stepped in to help. 

Sunny needed a light sedative to stay calm. The groomer carefully cut away the matted fur, little by little. 

It took nearly eight hours, including breaks, but when it was done, he was put on medicine to help heal his skin irritation and was sent off to his foster home looking like a brand-new dog. 

Two weeks later, little Sunny is looking and feeling so much better. He was full of energy, playing with his foster siblings and soaking up every bit of attention. 

Lackey took Sunny back to PetSmart to show off his new look and do some shopping. On his way through the aisles, Sunny couldn’t contain his excitement.  

“He was in his cart zooming around and barking,” Lackey said. “He is just a joyful pup. He is amazing.” 

In the pet clothes aisle, Sunny found the perfect outfit — a Superman costume. It was a fitting look for a little dog who had survived so much and still came out smiling. 

Sunny's story touched hearts all over North Texas. So many people applied to adopt him. And finally, he found his forever family — a perfect match. It was the happy ending Sunny had waited for all along. 

“The resilience of an animal who’s been severely neglected and traumatized is so remarkable to me,” Lackey said. “He’s a superhero to have gone through what he did and just be the most peppy and happy little guy.”