A dog with thick dreadlocks looks like a brand new pooch after groomers gave him a three-hour makeover - and shaved off 4.5lbs of matted fur.

Rags, a three or four year old Shih Tzu mix, was rescued by an animal non-profit after a homeowner said he had wandered into their yard.

Volunteers at Clarksdale Animal Rescue Effort and Shelter said he was "covered in the thickest mats we've ever seen" - which were too dense to cut with scissors

The neglected dog walked with bowed legs because his fur was tangled so tightly and had hundreds of fleas and sores beneath his coat.