Dog with a few pounds to lose

Meet Pumpkin, a new arrival at Old Friends, the special dog retirement community here at Best Friends. Sadly, she lost her home when her person had to go to a retirement home that didn’t allow pets! It was just terrible.

Dog's weight

What’s funny, though, is that when she arrived and wrote down her weight in the admissions chart, the figure was off a bit. Oh, by about 45 pounds or so! We’ll do the polite thing and let you guess whether she fibbed high or low.

Special weight loss diet for dog

A lady’s weight is certainly her own private affair, but there are still plenty of tricks to help her lose a few pounds even if she doesn’t quite see the need. For one, she receives two small meals twice a day instead of one full meal like the other dogs. This strategy lets her think she has more to eat. Oh, you should see the sly look on her face when she eats that top secret, extra meal.

Walking as exercise

And, of course, there’s also exercise. Pumpkin has a love for riding in cars, a love that seems to shine in her eyes as she trudges along on her daily walks. "Ummm, guys? This walking thing is fun and all, but I can’t help noticing that lovely golf cart over there …" Don’t let a little fibbing habit fool you, though. This old gal is a sweet, adorable dog with enough love to match her appetite – er, that is, her appetite for life, of course!

Learn about risks associated with dog obesity

Photos by Molly Wald