“Meet Mowgli. My Life, My Love, My Muse For My Fur Artwork”

As these before & after photos show, adoption makes a huge difference in a dog’s life. The power of a loving home transforms neglected and mistrustful critters into happy family members, wagging their tails every day of the year. And such is the case with Mowgli.

When Reddit user rachelfromearth brought the dog into her home a couple of years ago, Mowgli was miserable. Not much is known about his past, but the poor physical state he was in led to some pretty grim theories. However, rachelfromearth started taking good care of the pupper and Mowgli blossomed into his best self.

One day, after rachelfromearth groomed her pet, she had a random thought and went with it. The woman collected Mowgli’s fur into a pile and took a few photos of it. The leftovers of the shed hair immediately transformed into something amusing.

Image credits: rachelfromearth

“We rescued Mowgli in June of 2017 through Shenandoah Shepherd Rescue,” rachelfromearth told Bored Panda. “Shenandoah Shepherd Rescue pulls the majority of the dogs they save from high volume, high kill shelters in rural Texas (some with an intake of over 100 animals a day).”

Image credits: rachelfromearth

“Mowgli was picked up as a stray and admitted to one of these shelters, so we don’t know anything else about his past. We think he’s a white German Shepherd who is around 5 years old but we have not breed tested him and can’t be sure of his age.”

Image credits: rachelfromearth

When rachelfromearth first saw his picture, he was very underweight, missing a lot of fur all over his body, and was told he was heartworm positive. “But he also had the biggest smile on his face and we knew he was the dog for us.”

Image credits: rachelfromearth

After rachelfromearth decided Mowgli was the one, volunteers transported him to her in Virginia in a van full of other rescue dogs. “We picked him up in a hotel parking lot with a group of other fosters and adopters waiting to receive these dogs.”

Image credits: rachelfromearth

“Although Mowgli started out a little shy, the healthier he got, the more he opened up to become the goofy, happy-go-lucky, talkative, snuggly boy he is today,” rachelfromearth explained. “He is heartworm free, a solid 88 lbs, and has since grown back all of his fur. And then some.”

Image credits: rachelfromearth

The fur art began in December of 2018 after a normal brushing session. “I formed the pile of fur into a thought bubble and took a picture that I posted on Instagram and shared with family and friends,” rachelfromearth recalled. “I honestly can’t say what inspired me to do it. The volume of fur that comes off of Mowgli in just an hour is comically large and I think I was looking for ways to emphasize that.”

Image credits: rachelfromearth

And the rest is history. “It became a fun challenge every time I brushed him to come up with something new to do with the resulting pile of fur and I’ve been creating this weird fur art ever since!”

Rachelfromearth is pleased with all of the positive feedback her pics have received. “I’m thrilled other people also appreciate Mowgli and the spectacle that is the byproduct of his shedding,” she said. “The message I hope people will spread after seeing these pictures of Mowgli is that taking a chance on a rescue dog can be the greatest thing. I think some people have preconceived notions that you can’t rescue if you want a specific breed, or that all rescue dogs have behavioral issues, or won’t be as handsome, or that you won’t love a dog as much if you didn’t have them as a puppy – but as you can see, even the most ragged and downtrodden looking dog can come a long way.”

Image credits: rachelfromearth

If you enjoyed these pictures, rachelfromearth would love it if you would donate anything you’re able to Shenandoah Shepherd Rescue so that they can continue to save dogs just like Mowgli and help them find loving homes. Or any local shelter or rescue of your choosing! Anything and everything helps.