Senior Poodle Who Suffered Total Abandonment Transformed With Love

A senior rescue dog who was found abandoned in a field in a horrific condition has made a heartwarming recovery.

The poodle mix, who has been named Midnight Snack, was discovered by a passerby who contacted staff at The Kern Project. It is a nonprofit dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming of homeless dogs and cats in Kern County, California.

Midnight Snack was in a terrible state of neglect. His hair was overgrown and matted, he had issues with his teeth, and his bones were visible underneath it all. It is unclear how long he had been left out there to fend for himself.

Carol Lacey at The Kern Project told Newsweek that, sadly in their experience, stories about dogs being dumped and left to run stray are all too common at the moment. "As is the case across California, shelters are full and not accepting dogs as surrenders or found," Lacey said. "Dogs are currently dumped in record numbers in fields or orchards. This pup was rescued by one of these people living in a very rural community."

Staff workers nevertheless came to the rescue of Midnight Snack. His matted, overgrown hair was cut and groomed before they decided that he would benefit best from the specialist care of shelter partner Muttville Senior Dog Rescue in San Francisco.

Despite being more than worthy of a second chance at life, the sad reality is that senior rescue dogs like Midnight Snack can sometimes struggle to be adopted when up against younger canines.

A 2015 study conducted by Priceonomics examining the number of dogs adopted via the website Petfinder highlighted the issue. While 95 percent of puppies up for adoption ended up finding new homes, that proportion dropped to 68 percent among senior dogs.

That is why organizations like Muttville Senior Dog Rescue are so important. They focus solely on the fostering and adoption of senior rescue dogs over the age of 7.

Muttville's Mutt Manager, Jen Coudron, told Newsweek: "We got an urgent call from The Kern Project about a sad little mutt who was found at night, that had clearly been dumped."

Coudron said: "We are always so full, but we wanted to help this poor little pup. Thankfully, he was scooped up from this rural area and got to safety with The Kern Project. They reached out to us right away and we said, 'yes'."

Once Midnight Snack arrived at Muttville, he was seen by their veterinary team. The rescue pup had to undergo dental surgery, which involved having two teeth extracted, and was also neutered, with Muttville footing the bill for all of his treatment.

"We're so happy that we were able to step in and get him the care that he needed right away," Coudron said. "You could just tell that he felt so lucky and happy to be here, and it was off to his new beginning shortly thereafter and no more neglect for him!"

Eventually, it was decided that Midnight Snack was ready to be made available for adoption. It didn't take long for him to find a new forever home.

Sharon Christen was looking for a walking partner on the Muttville website when she came across Midnight Snack. They have proven to be the perfect match.

Christen said: "He's an energetic senior! I love to walk and was looking for a walking partner. He is also just super cute and mischievous. He loves his toys, barking at big dogs; we're going to go to dog training about that!"

Though she thinks his haircut needs a little work, Christen will be forever indebted to the person who came to Midnight Snack's aid that day. "He's doing really well," she said. "I am so glad someone picked him up and got him to Muttville."

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