Employees and volunteers at the Jasper County Animal Rescue League in Newton, IA, are not strangers to sad, heartwrenching cases at their shelter. But even they were shocked at the pup they saw left on their doorstep.

She had clearly been neglected and abandoned for months, and it’s incredible to imagine how she survived for so long in such extreme conditions.

Warning: some of the following images are quite graphic.

She was infested with fleas, and cockroaches were using her matted hair as a nest.

She was also suffering several ear and eye infections.

The kennel she had been left in for several months was lined with old, moldy dog food.

The shelter staff estimate her age at about ten years old and named her Sury — short for “survivor.”

It took five hours of careful grooming to get through all her grime, revealing the pretty pooch beneath.

Finally, they could tell her breed, shih tzu, and work on getting her the medical help she desperately needed.

Blind in both eyes, the shelter says she’s become very curious about all the new things she’s now able to smell without being bogged down in fur.

The staff also described her walk as being similar to “a baby deer,” as she’s so unused to feeling the floor on her paws. She’s currently up for adoption through the shelter, so if you or someone you know is in the Jasper County area, head over to their Facebook for more information on how you can give this sweet girl the loving home she deserves.