Dreadlocked dog gets rescued, much-needed makeover

A disheveled, small dog was recently rescued on the streets of Compton, Calif., and he underwent a major transformation in appearance and attitude, as seen in a video that has been seen more than 1.2 million times since it was posted to YouTube last week.

Eldad Hagar, founder of Hope for Paws, published the video on June 20, and it shows him chasing down the shaggy, abandoned dog and subsequently giving the canine a new outlook on life. The rescue organization gave the dog the name Theo, and after workers clean him up, it takes him a while to perk up and start trusting people again.

At the end, it looks like Theo is doing much better, as he begins to playfully interact with other dogs. Now, Hope for Paws is searching for a new owner for the formerly dreadlocked canine.

Hagar’s posts several videos of his group’s dog rescues to his YouTube channel. Theo’s rescue is the most popular post since the founder shared a video of rescuing a dog from a trash heap last December, which has since been watched more than 16 million times.