Brookfield, Ohio - "Who's this?" Jason Cooke wondered in surprise when he saw new pictures of Gizmo the dog. The rescuer had only just saved the animal last week. Because the pooch had been so extremely matted when he'd first been found, however, Cooke didn't even recognize him after Gizmo's day at the doggy salon – and neither will you!

The staff at his shelter, Healthy Hearts and Paws Project, which is based in Brookfield, had to give him a leg up first. "They said, 'Well, that's what was underneath,'" Cooke told Newsweek.

Two people had previously seen the poor pup wandering around Warren. After filing a report with Cooke's shelter to alert them of the dog in need, the rescuers made their way out to help him!

At first, Gizmo was afraid of Cooke, fleeing into a run-down and nearly empty pool.

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"I got down into the swimming pool, took my shoes off and thankfully there was only a couple of feet of water in it, but it was still disgusting," Cooke said. "I picked him up and it was just terrible. He was matted from head to toe."

The fact that Gizmo was also now soaked from his stunt didn't make the rescue process any easier!

After a day's rest, Gizmo finally arrived at a veterinary clinic where he was stripped of much of his excess fur.

To the veterinarians' surprise, the dog friend was otherwise in perfect health!

"He's a really, really beautiful dog," Cooke said. "He looks to be some type of poodle mix. Maybe around 3 years old. It's like a rags-to-riches story."

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As for why Gizmo was so neglected when he was found, Cooke doesn't know.

"We don't know a lot about him, but from what I've observed he's a very playful dog. He just jumped into my arms," he said.

"He's very active and I would suspect he's going to end up being good with other dogs," Cooke added.