11 Pound Dog with Nine Pounds of Dreadlocks

By Paul Ciampanelli Oct 17th 2009

How natty are your dreads?

Psssh. That ain't nothing compared to Buju Banton over here. According to the Rexburg Standard Journal, this dog (yes, that is indeed what this Rastafarian-Cousin-It-looking creature is) was snagged by police when a resident of St. Anthony, Idaho reported an "animal of unknown species" in her backyard.

The police contacted the local chapter of the Humane Society, who brought the extraordinarily hirsute canine to a nearby animal hospital. The staff there were able to remove nine pounds of matted hair from the 11-pound dog, although the poor, put-upon pooch had to be anesthetized in order to remove the hair from his paws. Because of the neglect, the dog will require some further medical care, and remains in the custody of the Humane Society.

Police were able to locate the owner of the dog, but he or she was found to be of "diminished capacity," and will probably not be charged for animal cruelty or neglect, reports the Rexburg Standard Journal. The owner had other dogs as pets too, but those animals were judged to be in good health.

Those photos of the dog with all that matted fur are funny and cute, and it's OK to have a chuckle over them, but in the end it's not worth the price of a neglected dog who had to suffer with almost twice his body weight in dreadlocks dragging him down and making him sick. We're glad the little fella is getting the care he needs, and we hope that the owner will receive the care that he or she needs as well.