| Jenna Mullins 12. März 2015 – 10:44
Looks like someone got their bikini body back! And now we’re picturing this adorable dog in a yellow polka dot bikini and it’s making us laugh a little too loudly for our coworkers liking. Whatever, bikini dog is worth it.
So this is Dennis, a sweet dachshund who as you can see from the above photo, was severely obese from a lifetime of only eating human food. The man who previously owned him was a hoarder and had been feeding the dog mostly White Castle burgers and pizza.
In June of 2013, Brooke Burton, the niece of Dennis’ owner, stepped in and convinced her uncle to let her adopt him (read: save him). And when she got back to her home in Columbus, Ohio, that’s precisely what she started doing.
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Dennis weighed 56 pounds when Brooke adopted him, and the vet told her that he would not have lasted another month in that house. She told People that the poor pup was also dehydrated and suffering from ear and skin infections.
Burton chronicled Dennis’ journey on her Facebook page titled “Dennis’ Odyssey: Health, Wellness, Awareness & Education.” She put him on a restricted diet of dry dog food and taking him on walks. After 44 pounds gone, three surgeries to remove excess skin and lots of physical therapy, Dennis is a completely different animal.
“I would say that, after a month of taking care of him, he realized I was helping him,” Burton, a Chamberlain College of Nursing student, told The Columbus Dispatch. “I’ve seen this depressed little dog blossom into a spunky little spitfire.”
Now the six-year-old dachshund loves to play fetch and running around the yard chasing bids.
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“His whole personality has changed,” Burton said to People. “He is always looking for someone to play with. And he loves to bark orders.”
She was able to raise the money for his many surgeries through her GoFundMe page and with donations from Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center.
Dr. Kathleen Ham, the vet who operated on Dennis during his skin removal procedures, said that his story is a good lesson that overfeeding your pet is not the way to show your affection.
“We have an expression: Food is not love. Most of what your pet wants from you is affection and attention.”
Bless you, Brooke, for saving Dennis’ life and dedicating so much time to his recovery! We wish there were more people like you in the world.
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