The owner left the dog, which looks like a Labradoodle, at the groomer for a long overdue trim. The poor pooch had lots of matted fur, so the owner knew it would look slightly different after the grooming.
What happened to my dog?
But the matting was much worse than it looked, leaving the groomer with only one option: shave this pup down to the skin. The only fur left was around the dog's ears. It gave the poor animal a weird and slightly scary look as if it were human, compared to Pennywise, the creepy clown from the Stephen King movie "IT."
The unnamed owner shared a snap of the Pennywise pooch on Reddit. It racked up more than 18,000 upvotes and hundreds of comments.
"Definitely looks like Pennywise," posted one person. "That poor dog has also aged 30 years in one trip to the barber."
"Oh dear," posted another. "Look at his eyes; even the dog looks embarrassed by his new look. Wonder how it's gonna feel on his next visit to the dog park. Hope the other pups don't pick on him."
A few Reddit users criticised the groomer, saying they'd be furious if their dog came home looking like this. However, according to some Labradoodle experts, extreme matting is a common problem among the breed, and a close shave to let the fur grow back is often required.
High maintenance pets
"This only happens if the dog is matted," posted one professional groomer. "And we usually tell you at drop off or call and tell you it needs to be done. None of us wants to do this to a dog."
Regular grooming and brushing are the best ways to avoid matted fur. Bear that in mind if you're thinking about getting any Poodle or Poodle crossbreed. Many of these dogs need a daily groom with specialised combs and brushes. Without one, you might end up with a Pennywise pup of your own.
