This is Neo, just after he was surrendered. His owners had taken him to a Pound where they were informed that large dogs had little chance for adoption and were usually killed immediately. Fortunately the owners acted on the advice to call BCNC Rescue. Although on the surface he looks well groomed, underneath he is so badly matted that we had to cut off his entire coat. It came off as a totally felted "pelt." The present photo shows Rescue Chair, Lucy , and Bouv lover and about to be graduated vet, Jerri, starting to work on his coat. I grabbed this photo and then grabbed my scissors. It probably took a total of 10 person-hours to remove his coat.
 
For a look at the shorn dog and his "pelt" click on Naked Neo and his Pelt.
 
Underneath the pelt were abut a dozen foxtail abcesses, most of which were "walled off" by fibrous tissue. Neo underwent several foxtail removals under local anethesia and two multiple removals under general anesthesia. One of the lumps took an hour to remove surgically! I know because I was there watching. All of this misery could have been prevented by regular grooming, and keeping him foxtail free could have been made easier by keeping his coat in a short clip during the foxtail season. In most of California foxtails are a great problem during the dry summers, but a Bouv can be comfortable in a 1/2" to 1" lenght coat during all of the year (except in the Sierras in winter).