At Crooked Leg Ranch near Quesnel, six-year-old dog Dolly hobbled on all fours, happy to be roaming about outside with her furry friends.

It hasnsa国际传媒檛 been easy for the obese Husky Border Collie mix to get to this point after weighing more than twice the average canine her size at 125 pounds.

A foster family with the animal sanctuary helped her lose some weight beginning in October of 2021.

Through a restricted low-fat diet, Dolly was able to shed some weight and even go up and down a couple of stairs to get into the backyard.

Before then, her mobility was severely limited and she struggled to breathe when laying down.

sa国际传媒淭hey did really great with her, and they got her down with a 20-pound weight loss which is pretty significant,sa国际传媒� said Willow Eyford, volunteer at the ranch.

Eyford was taken aback at how overweight Dolly was and described loading Dolly into a truck as a feat in itself.

Dolly became overweight after her previous owner overfed her.

Because Dolly started to no longer get along with her foster familysa国际传媒檚 small dog, she now spends her day with other rescues at Crooked Leg Ranch, such as Donkey, a donkey from Mission with metabolic disease, Marty, a 700-pound pig who was born paralyzed, and Buster, a friendly dog who has been at the sanctuary for the past eight years after arriving with a zombie-like appearance due to a chronic skin infection.

sa国际传媒淪hesa国际传媒檚 so quiet and shy, and she likes to just watch, but shesa国际传媒檚 done really well, and she is starting to pick up the cues from the other dogs,sa国际传媒� Eyford said.

sa国际传媒淲hen they get they get excited, shesa国际传媒檚 like sa国际传媒極k,

I donsa国际传媒檛 know what wesa国际传媒檙e doing, but Isa国际传媒檓 excited about it too,sa国际传媒檚a国际传媒攊tsa国际传媒檚 pretty funny.sa国际传媒�

While Dollysa国际传媒檚 first day at Crooked Leg Ranch was a bit sa国际传媒渙verwhelmingsa国际传媒�, she has since settled down.

Eyford suspects Dollysa国际传媒檚 dislike of the other dogs being rambunctious and playing near her was because she could not previously move or defend herself due to her weight, which left her feeling vulnerable.

sa国际传媒淪he gets excited when she sees us now in the morning when we come upstairssa国际传媒攕hesa国际传媒檚 like dancing,sa国际传媒� Eyford said.

sa国际传媒淚 think if she physically could, she would jump up on us like yousa国际传媒檙e here, but she cansa国际传媒檛, so she just kind of rolls back and forth.sa国际传媒�

Dolly still has at least 40 pounds to lose before reaching a healthy weight.

On Sunday, March 13, Dolly slowly climbed down a relatively long flight of stairs. After she received a small treat with some of her friends who surrounded Eyford, Dolly then happily walked about the sanctuary without a leash, sniffing and taking a few breaks in between.

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sa国际传媒淵ou can tell shesa国际传媒檚 just amazed at the world,sa国际传媒� Eyford said, adding Dolly watches closely when they play fetch with the other dogs.

sa国际传媒滻 think shesa国际传媒檚 just been so isolated and restricted because of her size, so itsa国际传媒檚 going to be interesting when she can actually move normally what her personality is going to be like.sa国际传媒�

Like Dollysa国际传媒檚 newfound friends, Crooked Leg Ranch provides care to displaced and special needs pets and farm animals Eyford describes requiring a bit more care and time to get them to the point of optimal well-being and potentially being adopted out.

She was surprised Dolly arrived without skin problems related to obesity and said her existing health conditions remain unclear.

Many pet owners commonly make the association food is love and will compensate walking or other activities with treats.

sa国际传媒淒olly is definitely going to have arthritis when she gets older, and what damage has been done to her organs we donsa国际传媒檛 know yet,sa国际传媒� Eyford said.

sa国际传媒淥bese pets are a major problem, and yousa国际传媒檙e shortening the life of your pet.sa国际传媒�

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Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: rebecca.dyok@quesnelobserver.com