The person who saw this dog, originally assumed he was just a pile of trash.

This dog was found on the streets in Canada by the Quebec Society for the Protection of Animals.

A person walking along the street actually thought the dog was a pile of trash – and the poor animal could barely be recognised as a living thing.

His fur was so long and matted that the dog looked about three times his regular size. More than 50 per cent of the dog’s size in the above photo was due to his fur.

The fur around his paws was so dirty and knotted that his legs looked like stumps.

So his rescuers sheared off his fur, clipped his nails and cleaned his eyes.

This is the dog that was hidden beneath all that fur: bright-eyed and less bushy-tailed.

Click through the gallery below for the dog’s complete transformation.

It’s absolutely shocking that so many dogs and other animals are living on city streets – due to a combination of being abandoned by owners who don’t have the time and stray animals which haven’t been desexed breeding – with photos like this a reminder that an animal without a home may end up starving, diseased or dying, due to no fault of their own.

They are loving, living creatures – and they deserve better.

If you would like to help promote the care and protection of animals in Australia, please visit the RSPCA – for all creatures great and small.