A dirty dog that was covered in mud was pulled from a drain in Taiwan.

The hapless Schnauzer was found by Taiwanese animal rescuer Xu Wenliang lying in the filthy canal roadside canal in Tainan City on June 21.

Its fur was knotted and its nails were quite long. Despite its sorry state, the animal did not appear to be a stray as it seemed accustomed to being handled by humans.

Xu carried the drenched pooch and dried it off with a towel before taking it home. He named the dog Gummy.

Photos show how the dog looked a lot better once he had been thoroughly scrubbed.

New owner Xu said: 'The little dog was left stranded under the summer heat. I washed him up and adopted him.

'His previous owner must have abandoned him out of boredom. There are many illegal breeding farms that treat dogs in a horrible manner. I hope people choose to adopt instead of purchasing.'