Kojak the mysterious breed of dog rescued by AWLQ shelter on Gold Coast

MEET Kojak. This dog came to AWLQ so neglected —bald, with eyes and ear infections— that vets couldn’t even tell what type of breed he was.

MEET the mysterious mutt who is so bald vets can’t tell what breed of dog he is.

Kojak, a 9-month old puppy, was neglected and dumped at the pound with such severe skin conditions that he was bald and had eye and ear infections.

Animals Welfare League of Queensland’s rehoming manager Melinda Phipps said Kojak had mange and had contracted demodex, a common, preventable skin condition in dogs.

Kojak’s fur is slowly growing back. Picture: Jerad Williams

“It’s quite common for puppies to contract demodex … given the severity of the infection, it’s likely he’s had it since birth because it takes many months for it to get (this bad),” she said.

“It’s a horrible skin condition, it creates a lot of irritation, a lot of scratching and they can also get secondary infections in their skin from that which is very, very painful.”

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Kojak, dumped at the Gold Coast pound before being transferred into AWLQ's care. Picture: Animal Welfare League of Queensland.

She said he was doing well now that he was being looked after the shelter, but it was a difficult task deciding what breed of dog he was because he had no fur.

“We’ve got him down as a kelpie cross, it’s a bit tricky until he grows all his fur back and we can actually have a proper look at him,” she said.

Kojak’s skin conditions were really bad. Picture: Animal Welfare League of Queensland.

She said his treatment would cost thousands for the shelter, and urged people to donate before the end of June as part of their tax appeal to raise $60,000.

Next week Kojak will head out on foster care for a month or two to continue his recovery in a home environment.

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But he’s turning into a handsome chap. Picture: Jerad Williams

Melinda Phipps and Kojak. Picture: Jerad Williams

Ms Phipps said the affectionate dog would be available for adoption in the future once he was cleared by the vets and would love a home with an active family.

“Despite the condition that he’s had, he’s got such a wonderful personality … which is surprising as he’s obviously not had fantastic care and he’s still such an open, lovely dog,” she said.