Lee Asher first met Tony, an overweight German Shepherd, at Sacramento SCPA. He was a stray before he got adopted; however, his adopter returned him.
The dog did not know how to show affection. He only managed to nudge his head on Lee’s hand when they met.
Lee decided that Tony needed the love of a family, so he took him home to a family of eight rescue dogs. When he arrived, he kept his distance. He wanted to be inconspicuous, but it was not possible with his size.
Tony was lazy and did not believe in himself. He did not want to exert any effort when catching treats or holding himself up to eat. He refused to go up the stairs because it was too difficult for him.
Lee knew that Tony needed to lose weight to avoid health problems like heart disease and hip and joint issues. He believed that showering Tony with love and attention will give him the motivation he needed to start getting active again.
Tony seemed so surprised when Lee woke him up the next day to go for outdoor activity. Together with the rest of the pack, Lee let Tony play outside in the snow. Lee hoped that the other dogs would influence Tony to run. He tried motivating him with positive words, too.
Since that day, Tony started to bond with the other dogs. He felt at home with all of them. Bo, a Black Labrador, became his personal trainer. Bo would set the pace, and Tony would try to keep up with him.
Lillie was Tony’s favorite cuddle buddy. They were always together. He learned to be confident because of Lillie.
Tony finally started losing weight, so Lee took the pack on a road trip. Tony enjoyed his first time at the beach. He went to different places and experienced running around on different terrain.
Tony reached the goal of losing 50 pounds. He was so different from the dog that Lee took from the shelter. Tony was loved and happy in his new pack.
Source: The Dodo via YouTube
