Erin McManis & Chad Schatz of Phoenix, Arizona, found an obese stray beagle at a dog shelter. He was in desperate need of help. The wonderful couple met the 90lb beagle and instantly knew that he was exceptional. Moreover, the happy-go-lucky dog was amiable, so the couple decided to foster the morbidly plum beagle named Wolfgang.
It really hurt them to see a dog who was so much larger than his usual size. They knew Wolfgang was in discomfort, but they had never found a dog who was that happy given the circumstances. The shelter had found the beagle as a stray, but Erin thought there must be a backstory behind his obesity. The reason behind this was when they had found Wolfgang, it was summer in Phoenix, and the poor dog could only walk a couple of feet.
When the new foster parents weighed Wolfgang, they found him 90 pounds, whereas beagles are typically 25 to 30 pounds. But the happy dog showed no signs of fear. Instead, he would get excited whenever the leash would come out. He was always ready to go on walks despite his excessive weight. So on his first walk, Erin & Chad took him down to the next house.
He was able to go outside, but he could not use all his energy at one time. It was tough for the beagle to move. However, the innocent dog desired to be like other normal dogs and never gave up. He always seemed happy to be doing whatever he could do. Under the vet’s supervision, Erin started to make his food with all the necessary nutrients.
At first, the dog could not walk much without a break. But with every pound that Wolfgang lost, his mobility increased. He went from 81 lbs. to 64 lbs. The foster parents were thrilled with the progress. The dog even went for hydrotherapy, which helped him a lot. Soon he could use the dog door much more like the other dogs. He was very proud.
Wolfgang could now walk a mile six months after the couple had gotten him. He loved walking around with a toy in his mouth. The cute dog would also bring his toy to the water treadmill appointments and would hold on to it all the time. He did not like his toys taken away and treated them as his workout buddy.
The weight loss journey continued, and soon the beagle reached the weight of 32 pounds. Wolfgang’s foster parents were very happy for him. It was fun for them to watch Wolfgang behave like their other dogs. Wolfgang loved walking and exercising. Hence, the couple would go on mile walks with him, probably five or six times a week. The couple believed that morbid obesity in dogs was a severe problem. They were glad that they could help Wolfgang and adopted the charming beagle.
