Kansas City, Missouri - This neglected dog didn't even look like a living thing when it was rescued. Thanks to caring hands who carefully removed more than six-and-a-half pounds of matted hair, the pup is now thriving.

The animal welfare workers of KC Pet Project in Kansas City, Missouri have had to deal with some hard cases. But this dog's condition was shocking, even to them.

The 11-year-old Shih Tzu was found on the street and immediately brought to their clinic for care.

The four-legged friend's fur was incredibly matted, and has grown so long that it dragged on the floor behind him. He struggled to even take steps under the weight of it without tripping.

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On Tuesday, the animal rights activists posted a video on their TikTok account documenting the dog's transformation, and the clip immediately struck a chord with viewers. It has already generated 23 million clicks within one day.

In the clip, a KC Pet Project employee says, "This eleven-year-old Shih Tzu came in today as a stray. This is possibly one of the worst mats we've ever seen, we can only guess how long it took him to get to this state."

Once the dog was under anesthesia, it took their team more than two hours to be able to carefully shave off the knots without damaging the tender skin underneath.

Before his treatment, the male dog is said to have weighed about 20 pounds. When the team weighed out his removed fur after the procedure, it weighed an astonishing six pounds by itself.

According to the employee, the main concern was the dog's skin, as sores and insect bites can easily fester underneath thick mats.

"But surprisingly, his skin is in pretty good condition," she said in the TikTok video.

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The video generated 3.2 million likes and received more than 42,000 comments by Tuesday evening, with many TikTok users sharing the team's horror and wondering what kind of hell the furry friend must have gone through.

Now the little guy looks like a real dog again and will be able to step into his future with much lighter feet.

Hopefully his story will inspire someone to adopt the little guy, and provide him with a fur-ever home.