ST. ANTHONY, Idaho — Police are investigating a case of animal neglect after an 11-pound male dog was found covered in nine pounds of dirty and matted fur.

St. Anthony Police Chief James Smith says police found the dog in a backyard after a neighbor called to report an animal of unknown species in the area.

Smith says the owner of the animal has been identified, but charges are unlikely because the owner is disabled, the Rexburg Standard Journal reported Wednesday night.

Deb Coleman, president of the Humane Society for the Upper Valley, says the dog was taken to the Fremont Animal Clinic, where it had to be anesthetized to remove the matted hair. The pooch is expected to fully recover, and is now in the care of the Humane Society.

"When I visited him this morning he was happy and trying to learn to walk without all that weight," Coleman said.

Doctors spent three hours working on the pup, which has been nicknamed "Matt."