Overweight, adopted German shepherd goes on the weight loss journey of a lifetime
Stories of success and triumph inspire many people. And this does not just apply to people, but our pets as well. For one dog, named Tony, he underwent an incredible journey to lose weight.
What transpired is a heartwarming story of an owner believing in his newly adopted dog so much that he was able to help him turn his life around.
Extremely overweight at 150 pounds
After visiting the Sacramento SPCA, Lee Asher immediately fell in love with an overweight German shepherd. At 150 pounds, Tony was way larger than he should have been as a fully grown dog.
Not only was his weight bad for his joints, but it could also have potentially caused cardiorespiratory problems down the road.
Bouncing around from home to home
Before Asher had adopted Tony, the dog had bounced around from home to home, never staying anywhere too long before he was returned to the shelter. Found as a stray, Asher noticed that Tony did not seem to show much confidence when it came to engaging in even minor physical activities.
“I don’t think he felt he’d ever really experienced love,” Asher told The Dodo. “But this time he’s never going back.”
Showing Tony the love he needed to grow
Asher was determined to show Tony the love he had never received before. Instead of giving up on him as everyone else had, Asher found the easiest solution to Tony’s confidence problems. He introduced him to his eight other adopted dogs.
Asher’s thought was that once Tony got to know the other dogs, he would become more confident.
Tony fits right in with Asher’s other dogs
Soon, Tony started fitting in with the other dogs, and just as Asher had predicted, his confidence grew.
Asher also worked to include Tony in social and physical activities with the other dogs. Over time, Tony began to shed the pounds. At first, it was only a small amount of weight, as Tony was only shown to have lost three pounds by his first visit to the vet.
Hitting his goal weight
By the next visit, Tony had lost over half of his targeted weight loss. Within two months of that, Tony had lost enough weight to go on an adventure with Asher and the other dogs, a road trip to explore the world. Finally, after Tony lost the last two pounds and was at his target weight of 100 pounds, Asher took him to visit the Sacramento SPCA.
Everyone there was surprised at Tony’s progress. No longer was he the overweight dog he had been before he was adopted. With Asher’s help, Tony was able to transform into a more confident, healthier, and happier dog. Asher’s determination to help Tony achieve his goal serves as an inspiration to everyone.
For more on Tony’s inspiring weight-loss journey, watch the video below.
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