A few months ago, a Good Samaritan walked into Stray Rescue of St. Louis (SRSL) with a heartbreaking request. The person held a severely matted stray dog in their arms as they asked if the shelter had room for one more resident.

“Someone brought in this tiny, matted pup they found,” SRSL wrote on Facebook. “Of course, we said YES! We’ll get this little lady all fixed up.”

SRSL’s staff immediately took in the dog, whom they named Woolly, inspired by the layers of hair encapsulating her body. They knew Woolly’s transformation would be complex, as she was covered in knotted fur, but it wasn’t until they gave her a medical exam that they realized how desperate her condition was.

“This poor, tiny 10-pound pup is being EATEN ALIVE and infested with maggots,” SRSL wrote on their website.

Woolly’s new friends at SRSL got straight to work removing the heavy fur from her body. They took their time shaving each mat off one by one, until finally, Woolly was nearly hairless.

Sadly, Woolly’s skin underneath the fur was inflamed and infected, but SRSL devised a treatment plan to get her healthy again. In addition to her new medication, Woolly soon found a medical foster home, where she could safely recover.

“[This] little angel is being picked up shortly to go to a medical foster home, so she doesn’t have to be in the loud, scary shelter,” SRSL wrote on Facebook. “We want her to be as comfortable as she’s ever been!”

“Last night was the best night of sleep she’s had in a loooooooong time,” SRSL wrote on Facebook. “She’s clean, she’s FREE, and she’s been nothing but sweet and grateful. What a doll!”

As the weeks passed, Woolly’s personality began to shine in foster care. Her foster mom, Anne, fell in love with Woolly instantly and was excited to share her progress with the folks at SRSL.

“We hit the jackpot when we took Woolly home. She is a dream dog,” Anne wrote to SRSL, shared in a Facebook post. “She is healing and is so happy.”

You can see Woolly playing with her new sister here:

A little over two months since her rescue, Woolly officially found her forever home, and she’s been thriving with her permanent family ever since. Now that she’s feeling better, the sweet girl is more playful than ever. And her family, along with her rescuers at SRSL, couldn’t be happier to see her blossom.

“Woolly arrived at the shelter, unrecognizable as a schnauzer,” SRSL wrote on Facebook. “She’s an, ‘I can’t believe that’s the same dog’ – dog. THIS is why fostering shelter dogs matters! Woolly is living her dream life!”