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MATT's Story

[Click on Matt's pictures to see full size]

In July of 1997, I received a call from the Philadelphia, PA. ASPCA that they had a badly matted (is there any other kind?) OES stray that had been found wandering the city streets, and kept the length of time required for his owners to retrieve him. Since no one had inquired about him was Rescue interested? Certainly, I replied and made arrangements to get him neutered before I picked him up.

When my husband Bob and I arrived with leash, collar and checkbook, we were taken to the recovery area to retrieve our prize. As the attendant led the dog out of the crate I knew something was wrong. I first thought that the dog must be much older than the estimated three years that I had been told. He looked like an old, old dog. He moved soooo slowly and awkwardly, that I assumed he must also have a severe case of hip dysplasia. As we approached "Mr. No Name " to make his acquaintance we became painfully aware that the truly awful smell in the room came mainly from him. Bob and I looked at each other and simultaneously thought, "Guess we better drive home quickly with all the windows down."

While walking to the car we soon discovered the reasons for his strange gait: He was literally walking on high heeled platform shoes -- there was so much hair growing between his toes that the pads of his feet couldn't touch the ground! Not only that, but as we touched this pitiful creature we soon discovered that his coat was more than simply matted, instead it was as confining and as hard as a suit of armor, with movable plates at the hips and neck.

Following a very fragrant hour or so ride home we got to work. Using scissors, we made a hole in his armor, and spent several hours with heavy duty clippers peeling back his shell. This was probably the first time since he was a puppy that someone or something (such as water) had been able to touch his skin. By the next day, we had a different dog -- clean, bald, and happy. All he wanted was to run and run and run.

Even after our many other rescues, we were overwhelmed by the massive mats covering the poor dog. and since our new boarder needed a name, Matthew - Matt for short - just seemed to fit. We placed the hair we removed in a 30 gal trash bag, and brought it to our vet, along with the now bald dog. Matt weighed 58 pounds, his former coat almost 10 pounds.

I found him a new home with a husband and wife team of realtors. When they came to pick him up, they asked if I thought that he would, overtime, adapt to life on a boat while wearing a doggie life jacket. I envisioned a small cabin cruiser with a big, bald, OES in an orange life jacket, and replied that he was a City dog, and that it would probably take a while for him to adapt to the change. I later came to find out that this poor city creature enthusiastically took to the high seas like he was born there. Matt, now known as Mayday (to fit his new lifestyle), now vacations on a 66 foot yacht, and travels to the Caribbean for Christmas vacation. He also has a groomer who makes house calls, as well as his own personal trainer. His favorite food, however, remains fast-food French fries.

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