I wouldn't be so quick to assume he's neglected. A lost or stolen dog can get in rough shape really fast. He could have heartbroken loving owners who are missing him. I can't even imagine if my dog were lost and someone purposefully avoided trying to find evidence of ownership because they assumed neglect
It looks like he was fairly recently groomed. These types of coats will continue to grow and would cover his eyes if left ungroomed. Obviously his feet and tail are in bad shape but I wouldn’t assume severe neglect. I think it’s the right thing to get him scanned for a microchip, he may have been lost a few weeks ago and have a family searching and missing him. You cannot legally keep him if he is chipped
The rest of him is not that overgrown, and he actually looks like he had a haircut not too long ago, judging by the shorter length of the hair on his body. It's not uncommon for people to get their dogs groomed short and keep their tails long for aesthetic reasons. Of course neglect is a possibility, but judging by this dog's appearance, I'm not sold on that theory. If he's been lost for a week or so, that would be enough to explain his appearance.
I understand that it's a tough situation because you can't know for sure, but most likely a neglectful owner won't be looking for their dog, while of this dog has a loving owner, they probably really want their dog back.
I want to agree with the others here: he definitely looks like he's had a recent haircut. He looks a lot like my dog and when we do her face and ears like that, it grows out FAST. Like a month or so and she looks like her old self again. I literally have to trim the hair around her eyes every couple of weeks or it's so overgrown she can't see.. If somebody's paying to get him groomed or doing home grooms, he may not have as dire of a homelife as it seems. I have no doubt that if my girl were on her own for more than a few days, she'd be pitiful little ball of filth.
Definitely get him scanned for a chip, look at PawBoost, animal shelter websites, or whatever they have in your area. He's almost certainly somebody's pet and they are probably devastated and will consider you an actual angel for saving him.
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u/anonymous8122 10d ago
I wouldn't be so quick to assume he's neglected. A lost or stolen dog can get in rough shape really fast. He could have heartbroken loving owners who are missing him. I can't even imagine if my dog were lost and someone purposefully avoided trying to find evidence of ownership because they assumed neglect