After her tenants left without notice, a landlord in New Hampshire went to investigate an abandoned apartment … and discovered what they had left behind.

The landlord found a little shih tzu, who barely even looked like a dog at all. He had clearly been severely neglected, and his fur was so matted that he could hardly walk. It was later discovered that the dog, thought to be about 3 years old, was also deaf and blind – the latter likely from scratching his eyes so much due to the matting.

He was found bumping into things and attempting to eat whatever he could find lying around on the floor. The Londonderry Police Department responded to the scene and took the first steps in getting the dog the help he so desperately needed.

“I don’t believe that the dog was abandoned for more than a few weeks,” Chris Olson of the Londonderry Police Department told The Dodo.” By all accounts, the dog is very gentle and affectionate with humans. There are no signs of physical abuse to the dog. It appears all of the ailments came from extensive neglect.”

The dog was immediately rushed to a local veterinary hospital and treated for dislocated knee caps, an infected skin mass and anemia. Once his matted fur had been shaved off, he didn’t even like the same dog – but still looked incredibly defeated.

The tenants of the apartment, Jada Demas and Jennifer Moscardini, were later found and arrested for multiple counts of animal abuse.

“Neighbors who heard the two women speak of the dog knew him to be named ‘Puppy,’” Olson said.

The dog is now being fostered while he heals from his injuries, and hopefully can now begin his long journey of learning how to love again.