# Bennie's adventures! (and hopefully weight loss!)



## Eenypup

We got our dog Bennie on Friday! I posted lots about her in a different thread but wanted to make a new one to show off some of the pictures I've been taking 









She took pretty quickly to clicker training and knows sit now!









Enjoying the sights of the city









She's obsessed with that toy AND that couch. Mostly the couch....









Her current favorite past time, sleeping lol









Staring at me because she wants pizza and not the kibble she hates









This is what happens when we walk for like 20 minutes and its kind of warm outside...









A side shot of her beginning weight at 79 lb, does it shock anyone to know that we get asked many times a day if she's pregnant??


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## Remaru

She is a such a pretty girl and she looks so happy to be home. I am just so excited for all of you and look forward to many many more pictures as you go on your new journey.


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## Hambonez

Yay! Glad she's yours now! I look forward to seeing her progress.


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## Ferdinand

Awww, I love that face! We often joke that only one of our four cats is actually cat-shaped, but - unlike the dog - they don't seem to keen on regular walks. She'll be healthy in no time - congratulations!


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## CandyLeopard

She has such a sweet expression! I just love her  very beautiful girl! I'm happy to be following your adventure with her!
Will be stalking this thread.


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## d_ray

Awww she's so sweet. Love her. 


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## jade5280

She's adorable! So happy you were able to adopt her.


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## SnapV

She is lovely  And you seem so happy to have her, it put a smile to my face


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## Amaryllis

Is this the fat dog from the shelter? Congratulations! I can't wait to see her not looking pregnant, poor girl.

We should introduce Bennie and my dog, Kabota. His happy place is furniture. As long as there's furniture for him to lie on, he's happy.


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## KAT1892

Wow, you can really see her winter weight ( ) in the last picture. But she does look happy with you two. So glad it is working out well. Please continue to update. 

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## Eenypup

Thanks everyone! Yes, she's the fat one from the shelter if it isn't too obvious by her physique  She adores napping on the couch but at least she really does like to go on walks so hopefully she'll be looking better soon!









Bennie burrito in her favorite spot 









Look at those eyes!


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## pekelover

She is so beautiful! I just love that smile of hers. She looks to be adjusting quite well.


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## Eenypup

She's adjusting super well! I'm hoping if it's not too hot (she can't walk too far in the heat) we'll take her to Petco this weekend for a weigh in! Cross everything you've got for some weight loss!









She's now very into cuddling with us and following us around 









She also looooves the grass!









And here is what happens when you leave her with a cheap squeaky toy, luckily we bought these for all around $1 on sale for this reason!


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## gingerkid

Eenypup said:


> Look at those eyes!


What a sweetie! I'm late to the party, but so glad everything worked out and you were able to adopt her in the end!


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## Eenypup

Got some better pictures of her current weight! You'll see that in the first side picture her skin is hanging down and then I'm holding it up in the second.. I really hope her entire stomach isn't just flabby hanging skin after this ordeal but I'm thinking it will be. :/ Every time I walk her she just gets mocked and laughed at and it's really frustrating that the fat can't just fall off


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## dagwall

It will somewhat depend on the dog but some can look fabulous after a huge weight loss. We got a very obese pit mix into the shelter last April, she was over 100 lbs. They got her to shed about 40 lbs in 6 months, she looks so good now. Click links below for pictures

Arrival pictures

After pictures

I know with time and effort you'll get Bennie looking great too. Should be a bit easier for you with her in a home and getting her out for walks every day. The majority of the dogs at our shelter only get real walks on the weekends when volunteers are out.


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## CandyLeopard

dagwall said:


> It will somewhat depend on the dog but some can look fabulous after a huge weight loss. We got a very obese pit mix into the shelter last April, she was over 100 lbs. They got her to shed about 40 lbs in 6 months, she looks so good now. Click links below for pictures
> 
> Arrival pictures
> 
> After pictures
> 
> I know with time and effort you'll get Bennie looking great too. Should be a bit easier for you with her in a home and getting her out for walks every day. The majority of the dogs at our shelter only get real walks on the weekends when volunteers are out.


Holy wow! That dog sure looks great now! And 6 months seems pretty quick for only getting "real walks" on weekends.

Bennie will get there someday too! She just needs more time  I think as long as she gets good daily walks, we'll see progress in a month or two.


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## Eenypup

Wow Phoenix is really looking good! It's always nice to see that other dogs can lose, so I know she can too!! Her vet papers say she was 89 lb in February and now she's around 81 lb, so I also figure if she could lose weight in a shelter environment there's no way she won't lose weight with us!

She takes 2-3 walks a day and we always have a few sessions of running around the apartment playing catch with a squeaky toy. I think she's already building endurance and we have had to take in her harness once so I think she's on the way to slimming down!


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## cookieface

She's sweet. Glad you finally have her.


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## Eenypup

So... I'll share one new picture and a fabulous update! I tightened her collar the other day so I figured she was losing some weight, but today the scale is finally showing results! The Petco scale is not really exact but the past few weeks it was pretty steadily in the 79-81 lb range. Today I put her on and she was between 74-78 lb!! Since the scale isn't completely accurate I don't know exactly where she's at, but it's nice to know that she's really slimming down and doesn't just appear to be! She's so much more energetic already so I'm very excited to see how great she'll be feeling in a few months.


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## KAT1892

Good job Bennie! 

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## aiw

Eenypup said:


> So... I'll share one new picture and a fabulous update! I tightened her collar the other day so I figured she was losing some weight, but today the scale is finally showing results! The Petco scale is not really exact but the past few weeks it was pretty steadily in the 79-81 lb range. Today I put her on and she was between 74-78 lb!! Since the scale isn't completely accurate I don't know exactly where she's at, but it's nice to know that she's really slimming down and doesn't just appear to be! She's so much more energetic already so I'm very excited to see how great she'll be feeling in a few months.


Looking better already!

In your other thread you mention that you get stopped often to chat... I think its likely related to the weight. Lots of well-meaning busybodies out there! She does look much better already and I'm sure you'll keep her on the right track. She looks so danged happy to be on that couch. Adorable.


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## Eenypup

Oh it's definitely related to the weight! No one hides it! She is super happy to be feeling thinner and be able to go on couches and beds now


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## Eenypup

I cannot stand how adorable this picture is!! Look at how great she looks in that coat


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## Remaru

Go Bennie! You are doing a great job with her. She looks adorable in her raincoat, Duke will be jealous, he only has a winter coat. I have been meaning to make him a fleecy coat for extra warmth.


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## CandyLeopard

Hehe looking adorable in that rain jacket! 

Good job on the weight loss!



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## Eenypup

Thanks guys! Soon we'll even be able to button the BOTTOM straps of her new rain coat


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## SDRRanger

Looking good. I can't wait to see the progression.


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## Eenypup

Took some more weight loss pictures today! If you compare them to the ones I posted 11 days ago... WOW! I know she's got a long way to go but you can really see the difference! Her skin is sagging all along her stomach now, which makes her look bigger than she is if I don't hold it up. So we have both shots here for comparison. The last picture shows the lining of skin, which was all fat a week ago!


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## SDRRanger

that is awesome  and good to take pictures throughout to compare...otherwise you sometimes don't see how far you've gone because you see her everyday. How's her energy?


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## Eenypup

Yeah I love the pictures, we're going to try to keep taking them until she's at a healthy weight. Her energy is SO much higher than when we first got her! We used to have to coax her to walk briskly and now she'll start jogging on her own and want to jog a few blocks. She's outside exercising 1-2 hours a day and we're able to take her farther all the time! I think she feels like a puppy getting this weight off her


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## ireth0

Yay!

She's looking so great, and it's great to hear that she's getting more energy.


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## Eenypup

Thank you!! I'm very very happy with the progress in only three weeks


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## Eenypup

So Bennie's now down somewhere around 72 lb which is SO awesome! Almost 10 lb down from when we got her!! We had to rest her for a few days because it seemed like she had overextended her shoulder or something, and she was _craving_ exercise. Such a different dog!! Now she's back on a normal routine and totally thrilled about it  Although as you can see a bit in the pictures she has a ton of excess loose skin, which is sort of unsightly... Everyone thinks she just had puppies, which I suppose is an improvement from everyone thinking she's about to have puppies!

I'll post some weight loss pictures and a cute one of her enjoying the outdoors last week.


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## Eenypup

Just took a picture to show that she has... a WAIST!! If you take a look at pictures of her from when we first got her there was not a waist in sight. We're getting there Bennie!


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## SDRRanger

She's looking so much better  congrats on seeing the waist!


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## Eenypup

Thank you! I'm very proud of her


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## Remaru

She is looking great and I bet she is feeling so much better. You can see in her face how happy she is.


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## Eenypup

Oh yes she is! She adores exercising and you can see in her face how happy she is when we start running! We don't run far or too often, but she really lights up now that she's physically capable of running.


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## kdawnk

She looks great! I love lurking on this thread!
What happens to the excess skin? Is the excess skin common and will it tighten on its own or will you have to do something about it later?
I have no idea how that works! My dad was 300 pounds and dropped to 175 and all his excess skin tightened into muscle on him, my auntie had a similar story, but had to get a surgery to remove the skin. Are dogs similar in this aspect; sometimes they require a surgery and sometimes they don't?


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## Eenypup

From what I've read it does depend on the dog and how much weight was lost. Since she is losing so much quickly, specifically off her stomach, I have a hard time believing it will tighten up much. Some people said their dog's did get a little better with continuous exercise but excess will most likely always be there. In extreme cases it can be removed surgically, which we wouldn't do unless it impeded her somehow.

It's a bit disappointing that after all this hard work she's still going to be flabby. I hate having people ask me if she's pregnant or just had puppies, and I was hoping that once she lost the weight we'd stop getting bothered with those remarks. But now that she's still overweight AND she has excess skin hanging down people really think she's pregnant or nursing. Oh well, at least she feels better!


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## Eenypup

First zoomies today!!! Haven't seen that since Koby was much younger! I wonder if she's a happy dog?


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## ireth0

Any updates from Bennie?


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## Eenypup

I always love to update on Bennie!! She has become a super cuddler, which has been great because I'm in the apartment alone with her for most of this month. She'll start sleeping somewhere else on the bed but by the morning she's pressed up against me with her head resting on me somewhere. What a sweetie! Our training sessions are not very frustrating anymore, which is awesome. She used to hate trying to figure out what I wanted, but now that I can throw in commands she knows really well like 'sit', 'lay down', 'paw', she feels much more confident trying new things and gets less discouraged. 

She weighs around 71-72 lb still, so she hasn't gone down on the scale really since I last posted. I think she's building muscle though, so that might have something to do with it. I think she looks better, but I have to wait for my girlfriend to help me get a good picture of her to see. I know at the shelter they had her back down to this weight (from 89 lb) at one point, and then she not only plateaued but then went back UP to nearly 90 lb again! It says all of this on her vet records from the PSPCA, so I'm thinking here on out is going to be more difficult and gradual than before. She lost a lot of the extra weight everywhere except her stomach. If anyone knows how to tone a dog's stomach, please give me advice!

Bennie is very confident about her lay down!









She's also a little too confident that she fits on small piles of sheets waiting to go in the laundry...


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## Amaryllis

Bennie! She's so pretty! It's so great to see a rescue open up and cuddle and enjoy training and show their personality.

One of the great disappointments of weight loss is the extra skin. But she's zooming, so she must be feeling so much better! It's frustrating for you, but being a dog, she doesn't know what she looks like.


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## Eenypup

She's a pretty girl  She's definitely gotten so much more comfortable here, she already knows her routine and is just excited about everything from walks to cuddle time. She's a lot of fun!

You're right! She zoomed around for the second time the other night so I know she's feeling good!!


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## DaySleepers

Have you thought about Fitpaws products or a balance board for working on core strength stuff? Might help with toning her tummy. I don't have any myself, but I've been drooling over their products, and I see them recommended here and there. I don't know how stressful that kind of exercise would be on her joints, though, at her weight.


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## Eenypup

I never thought about trying a balance board! The ones from that company are a bit pricey for me but maybe I could try to find one for people that she would fit on. She definitely needs some tummy toning, so that seems like it might not be a bad idea


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## ireth0

Yay! Very glad to hear she's doing well and feeling better.


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## xena

Eenypup said:


> I hate having people ask me if she's pregnant or just had puppies, and I was hoping that once she lost the weight we'd stop getting bothered with those remarks. But now that she's still overweight AND she has excess skin hanging down people really think she's pregnant or nursing. Oh well, at least she feels better!


then imagine my dachshund x with Cushing syndrome, nasty illness which causes dog's belly to grow a lot. For 4-5 years we're fighting "cushing" (unfortunately we're at the end of fight soon...;/) and for all this time, when you try to save your dogs life, people tell you: you are overfeeding your dog, it's your fault, she's so fat, she can barely move- what have you done to her etc. etc... asking about her being pregnant wasn't too bad then...

you're doing great job- change is visible! maybe if you slow down a bit and don't rush weight loss too much, skin will have a time to adapt? it's like with humans- you lose weight too fast the skin will be flabby...


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## Eenypup

That's why I hate when people assume things they know nothing about!! I'm so sorry, people are really rude 

We took some new pictures of Bennie today! I think looking at her from the top she's starting to look way better.


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## Foxes&Hounds

What a gorgeous girly!!
You've done a brilliant job on her weight too, congratulations 

I believe raspberry leaf tablets and/or parsley can be used for dogs after pregnancy/phantoms to help tone up their saggy boobs. Wonder if that would help for her stomach at all?


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## +two

Wow! She is really looking great. You can tell she has some muscle toning going on and it is wonderful to see how well she has adjusted to you. 

Maybe I missed it but have you had her tested for thyroid? I know someone mentioned Cushings as well.


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## Eenypup

Thank you both! I don't know about the raspberry leaf/parsley but I'll look into it and see what people say! And she was tested twice for thyroid before we got her. Never tested for Cushing's but I've always kind of thought she should be...


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## xena

Eenypup said:


> Thank you both! I don't know about the raspberry leaf/parsley but I'll look into it and see what people say! And she was tested twice for thyroid before we got her. Never tested for Cushing's but I've always kind of thought she should webe...


 with cushing we were able to say it's most likely she has it after blood tests already . Rest of expenses were to have 100% diagnosis. You would know as dog would drink tremendous amounts of water- miniature dachshund size dog drunk 3.5 litres of water a day . So her bladder wouldn't hold. When you know what to look for it's easy to recognize at least possibility.


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## xena

Moreover your pup responds to diet- my dogs belly dropped only after start of the treatment when we recognized the cause.


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## Eenypup

I know she was looked at by the shelter vets at one point for excessive drinking & urination, but she hasn't had those symptoms at all with us. She also came to them thin but with a mildly distended abdomen, which I thought was strange.


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## xena

I'd be careful with that and watch her. or if at any point you're doing blood test ask to check levels of Alkaline phosphatase (truth is sometimes you need to think for vets...;/ some things were done only because i've done research myself and i asked them to do it ;/)- if that was ok, rest should be good. Levels of this enzyme told my vet a lot. While norm is 20-190 U/l my girl had 6318 and we knew by then they diagnosed her too late to have a better chance... still had to check cortisol levels but it was just to have it black&white... everything was done too late... I wouldn't be too worried if she responds to normal diet and exercise with loss of weight  so no panic, continue on what you're doing.

And what i'm talking about:








so as you can see it is nasty when it's diagnosed by vets too late, huuuuge belly, hair loss etc...


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## CandyLeopard

Looking good! Her ears are too cute lol


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## Sibe

Great progress!!! I can't believe I'm just now seeing this thread, I'll definitely be following with the rest of the Bennie cheerleaders!


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## Eenypup

Hehe, I LOVE her ears! They crack me up when one of them sticks straight up (only if she's playing or sleeping) and they're so cute when they're perked  Bennie loves her cheerleaders!!


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## Little Wise Owl

Eenypup said:


> That's why I hate when people assume things they know nothing about!! I'm so sorry, people are really rude
> 
> We took some new pictures of Bennie today! I think looking at her from the top she's starting to look way better.



WOW! Look at that progress! You're doing amazing with her. She's such a beautiful girl


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## cookieface

I'm so impressed with how far she's come - both with her weight loss and her acclimating to life with you!


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## Eenypup

Eenypup said:


> Thanks guys! Soon we'll even be able to button the BOTTOM straps of her new rain coat


This was a problem on May 19th, and by June 13th we were officially able to fasten the bottom strap


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## ireth0

Eenypup said:


> This was a problem on May 19th, and by June 13th we were officially able to fasten the bottom strap


You go girl!

At this rate she'll be bikini-ready for summer in no time.


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## BellaPup

Just wanted to add my WOOHOO :whoo: for the awesome job you've done with Bennie! She is looking spectacular!


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## Amaryllis

Look at that waist! You go, Bennie!

She looks like such a sweet cuddlebug. I just want to reach through the screen and scritch behind her ears.


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## Eenypup

Amaryllis said:


> She looks like such a sweet cuddlebug. I just want to reach through the screen and scritch behind her ears.


And she would love you for it! She got pet today not by one but TWO strangers - you'd think she was on cloud nine!!

It's amazing that not only does she look so much better but she's so energetic now! What have we gotten ourselves into?!


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## Amaryllis

Eenypup said:


> And she would love you for it! She got pet today not by one but TWO strangers - you'd think she was on cloud nine!!
> 
> It's amazing that not only does she look so much better but she's so energetic now! What have we gotten ourselves into?!


Heehee! I love it! The first time Kabota misbehaved, I jumped with joy. You have to love a dog finally able to be a dog.


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## Melle

Amazing progress! You can see how the lessened weight is easier on her pasterns and her topline is straighter now  Yay Bennie!


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## Eenypup

Amaryllis said:


> Heehee! I love it! The first time Kabota misbehaved, I jumped with joy. You have to love a dog finally able to be a dog.


Bennie's been getting so excited about walks recently that she runs in circles, play bows, and jumps up. I always told myself I wouldn't let her jump up, but I've been so happy to see her act like an energetic real dog that I don't have the heart to correct her! Maybe we'll work on that later, or so I keep telling myself


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## Remaru

You guys are really doing so great. She is such a doll I'm sure it is hard to correct her. I always have a hard time with Remus, he just smiles so mischievously.


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## Eenypup

She is fantastic, always making us laugh and smile. And making it so hard to correct her for sure! But training is going very well, anyone have an idea for a fun trick I can teach her? She has paw targeting down (with a tupperware lid) because I used that for teaching her to give paw, so I thought I could do something with that?

Today she went to Petco again to get an antler and took the job of carrying it home _very_ seriously. It was adorable! Everyone at Petco loves her and one of the women who works there said she told her mom about Bennie because she's her favorite customer  And another good note, she's officially at 70 lb! First 10 lb DOWN!! 









Didn't want to take any detours, just straight home to chew 









We found some nice shady areas of grass to wander around when it's too hot during the day!









She pushed all the pillows together to get super comfy


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## jade5280

Awww she's so sweet. That polka dot collar is adorable!


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## CandyLeopard

What an adorable girl! I love seeing new pics of her. She sounds like she has a great character  
& Great job on the weight loss!!


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## Eenypup

Thanks guys!! 

In the park the other day some couple was doing a photo shoot and they asked me & Bennie to be in a picture! It was a very strange request for me, but judging by the photographer's Facebook page he does this in almost every shoot. So... here's me & Bennie with a random couple we don't know!!


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## jade5280

Haha cute. The photographer regularly invites strangers into the photo shoot?


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## Eenypup

Yup. Weird huh?


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## CandyLeopard

Weird, but unique! What a cool photo


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## jade5280

Eenypup said:


> Yup. Weird huh?


A little weird but kinda cool at the same time. I bet he's gotten some pretty neat pics.


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## Eenypup

Got some new pics today! Slowly climbing down the scale at 69 lb now, and she's looking so much better! She had a dogsitter this weekend while we went to NYC and she was apparently fabulous. Although it was great to see how excited she was when we came back last night, she was running all around and grabbing toys  And she finally chews her Nylabone!


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## LoMD13

Just seeing this thread now, it was so cool to see her transformation! She is looking fantastic.


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## CandyLeopard

What a difference from the first pictures! 
Good job girls! Bennie is doing fabulous


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## Eenypup

Thanks! It's fun to look at our pictures from two months ago and compare them to now!


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## Eenypup

Bennie visited her friends at the PSPCA today! They were so happy to see how much thinner & happier she looked! And of course we showed off some tricks


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## Amaryllis

She loves the peoples!

The first time Kabota chewed something, I danced with joy. It's nice to see a dog be a dog.


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## Eenypup

Oh she sure does! She loves ALL the peoples! And then she comes home and looks ridiculous per usual...


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## Kayota

Starting to get a tuck now! Looking good  Those ears!

Amaryllis-- I know right? I had no idea how to get Roxie to chew things... turns out she has to have them "started". She LOVED the bully stick that Moby ate half of lol! Before that I couldn;t get her to eat them.


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## Eenypup

Yup! And I love love love when her ears do silly things


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## CrystalGSD

She's so adorable! Good job on the weight loss, she seems so happy


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## Remaru

Watch out! It is the dreaded "couch pittie"!! She is just too much. I love watching her progress with her weight loss and as her personality is coming out more and more.


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## Eenypup

Part of her personality apparently involves stealing leftover meatloaf out of the trash :doh: 

She did go down another pound on the scale today though, so yay!


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## JessCowgirl88

Wow the progress you have made is amazing! She looks so happy, sweet and full of life as well as a love bug. Will be fun to see how she progress!


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## minireb123

So I thought I would update this thread with some nice updates since the fake tumor scare we had this week! 

We may have been very worried this week but Bennie was sure sleeping all right 









I just realized no one on the forum has seen her in motion so here she is in all her glory haha (this is what she does when we start going a way she doesn't want to go)
[video]http://vid219.photobucket.com/albums/cc242/Minireb123/IMG_1087.mp4[/video]


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## Hambonez

minireb123 said:


> I just realized no one on the forum has seen her in motion so here she is in all her glory haha (this is what she does when we start going a way she doesn't want to go)
> [video]http://vid219.photobucket.com/albums/cc242/Minireb123/IMG_1087.mp4[/video]


That looks like a Hamilton walk! He walks great MOST of the time, but some days he's just like "Nope!" and stops at every shady spot to lay down. She's smaller than she looks in still pictures!


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## Eenypup

She's pretty short! She's a bit long for her height so her body kind of looks funny too


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## Kiwifruit

Bennie's looking great! I love seeing her smiling face in your signature around the forums. She looks very happy and content.


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## Sunak

Eenypup said:


> her body kind of looks funny too


S'okay. We all look a little funny. Great pics!


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## Eenypup

Bennie's only around 65 lb now!! She's still chunky and definitely has a lot of loose skin, but I think she's looking great considering she was 80 lb 2.5 months ago! You can see in these pics where she was shaved for the ultrasound, too. And sorry for the uni-teat in the pic where I'm holding up her skin 





































And if anyone's interesting in seeing a first person view of a short Bennie play session... here you go! 

http://vidmg.photobucket.com/albums/v492/wagawa/IMG_1081_zps0e42fec0.mp4


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## Damon'sMom

I have to say the progress you have made is amazing.  Do you have an idea of what you want to get her down to, or just kinda going off of how she looks? She is absolutely beautiful and you can tell she knows she has found her fur-ever home.


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## minireb123

I think right now we're just going off of how she looks! At this weight, she's pretty close to what she weighed when she was first brought into the shelter but she still has a distended abdomen and a small layer of fat around her chest/neck. Since we found out about her large spleen, we don't really know for sure if that's what's causing her large belly so I guess we'll just have to see if it continues to shrink up or not. I personally think maybe another 5-10 lbs? It's hard to tell how much she's still carrying around!


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## Eenypup

Yeah she was initially 63 lb when brought into the shelter, but she's not very close to her ideal weight at this point. It's also hard to tell if she'll build more muscle while she loses more weight, which might change where her ideal is. It's easier to go off body condition, I think! I'd agree with her estimate of 5-10 lbs more, but of course we'll just have to see.


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## Eenypup

Just wanted to post some new pics! It's only been around 80 degrees the past few days so Bennie and I have been able to spend a lot of time outside, which she of course appreciates  She loves going to the grassy park areas and the past two days we walked to the art museum and back. That's a pretty big deal, because in all it's about 3 miles & 60 minutes of walking. She even jogged quite a bit of it! I remember when we first moved here and adopted here I was lamenting that we'd never be able to get her to walk that far so we could see the nice trails back there. But now she can go! Yay Bennie!









Chilling at the nearby park









Posing in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art









Derping in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art


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## xena

great She's so lucky she's got you )


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## xena

andd i think she looks pretty much perfect now- loose skin will be there, can do nothing about it


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## Eenypup

She looks pretty good, and I'm coming to accept that we're stuck with too many skins. Lots of joking about it goes on around here  I definitely want her to lose some more weight because you can feel a layer of fat down her chest and stomach, but she's getting there for sure!


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## CandyLeopard

She's looking SOO good! And very happy


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## ireth0

Bennie's looking great!


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## cookieface

Eenypup said:


> Posing in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Derping in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art


She needs to do the Rocky run.


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## Eenypup

Thanks guys!  

Maybe by the fall she'll be marathon ready


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## Little Wise Owl

She looks great! Keep up the great work


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## pandification

So pretty! Go Bennie!


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## jade5280

She's looking fantastic! Keep it up, you're doing a great job.


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## Eenypup

And sometimes I can't even believe this is the same dog who weighed 90 lb at one point... 25 EXTRA LB. 

For comparison...








Before we met when she weighed ~90 lb









In April soon before got her at ~80 lb









NOW at ~65 lb, able to run and play like a normal dog!


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## Damon'sMom

Oh my, that first photo is so sad. I am so happy she found such a wonderful home, she is absolutely beautiful. Congratulations on the progress.


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## Eenypup

I know, I saw a video of her and she could barely move 

I think I take too many pictures of her!! My dad got her a huge $30 elk antler that she's obsessing over, and I love her face so much when she's looking at it so I held it up in the air for pics. Cutie!


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## CandyLeopard

Oh my she is so cute! Never too many pics of her!! Keep them coming hahaa
Tremendous progress from that 90 lb picture wow!!


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## Eenypup

Wait... _my dog_ weighs 63 lb now? Say what?! That's how much she weighed when she came into the PSPCA, and it was so recently just a distant number to strive for. It seems like a little less than three months ago we just brought her home and she was over 80! Oh wait...

This doofus has been spectacular the last three months and is such a great dog to have around. She's been super super good about other dogs, too. I was so proud of her when we had a dog lunge nearly in her face last night, and she only briefly stopped looking at me and then moved right along. The other one was barking and snapping and she just followed me to get her treat, and the other owner asked his dog why she wasn't behaving as well as Bennie. Good girl!  She also still adores everyone and has learned "up up" (sit pretty), crawl, and pick it up. She's pretty good at showing off her tricks for company, too!


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## Eenypup

Just some more pictures for fun!









Derpy doggie!









Lazy tug of war (girlfriend was lying on the bed holding the other end lol)









Trying to balance her up up









Building up muscles and showing off those glorious skins!









Cutie!


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## Damon'sMom

Way to go on the weight loss! YAY.


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## Eenypup

Thanks!! I'm so happy with her, and sometimes can't even believe she used to be so big!

Not to mention she's really the best dog in every other way too


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## Sibe

I can't believe the pics of her working on her balance. She's come so far!!


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## Eenypup

I know right?? We do up ups a few times a day and she's getting better and better! Totally couldn't have done it when we got her


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## Eenypup

Oooh look at this skinny mini today! So much more defined than even the last set of pics!









Tucking up too 









Also just a super cool dog in general


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## cookieface

Wow! She looks great! Not just her weight, but everything. She's fortunate to have been adopted by you.


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## CandyLeopard

Wow!! Always amazes me to see her progress! Cute sunglasses too lol


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## CrazyDogWoman

You have done / are doing an *amazing* job with Bennie! She's absolutely beautiful.


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## ForTheLoveOfDogs

She looks SO good! There's not much more to go now!


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## Sibe

You've both done so well!


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## Eenypup

Thanks everyone!! She's looking awesome!  And I think this might be the cutest picture I've ever seen...


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## SnapV

Wow she looks awesome! Great job to both of you


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## ireth0

Yay Bennie! She's looking so awesome!


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## Eenypup

More Bennie!! We have had some rough patches recently but I love her to bits  While we have some issues to be worked on, she is doing super well with her tricks and we've been doing a lot of them on a long line outside recently. She's so much better at paying attention and her recall is getting good! I'm thinking we might someday, like a year or two from now, look into doing doggie freestyle or some fun other trick competition.

She weighs 58 lb now, one of her buddies at Petco saw her today and was so shocked! The vet seemed to think she shouldn't go under about 55 lb. I'm thinking in a few weeks I might have to up her food because even with decreased exercise (being busy + the heat don't make for much outdoor fun) she's still slimming down more.




























And some updated pictures of her figure... What do you guys think about her weight?


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## Sibe

Holy smokes! Incredible difference, you are doing so much good for her. Go Bennie!!!


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## BostonBullMama

She looks fantastic! Yay Bennie!! 
(Are you holding her belly or did she get a tum-tuck - did I miss something??)


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## Eenypup

BostonBullMama said:


> (Are you holding her belly or did she get a tum-tuck - did I miss something??)


LOL the last two pics in the post are only a few seconds apart, but I'm holding up her skins in the very last one


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## BostonBullMama

Eenypup said:


> LOL the last two pics in the post are only a few seconds apart, but I'm holding up her skins in the very last one


Either way, she looks amazing.


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## Eenypup

Maybe I'll appreciate her good looks more tomorrow after I've recuperated from spending all night inducing vomiting because my perfect lady ate a box of fudge


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## ireth0

Yay Bennie!

Her belly looks very much like Luna's belly, hehe. Whenever we go out into public at least SOMEBODY will mention that she's had puppies recently.


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## Little Wise Owl

Wow, she looks amazing!


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## CrazyDogWoman

Eenypup said:


> More Bennie!!


Wrong. Significantly less Bennie!
Good job!


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## ForTheLoveOfDogs

She looks great! Even her skin nippy flappys look less in those pics. Seriously though, awesome!


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## Amaryllis

She looks fantastic! I'd say her weight is perfect, or near to it. She's not as skinny as Kabota, but she doesn't have his bad hip, either, so she shouldn't be. She is just such a happy, pretty girl. I'm so glad you went for it.


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## Eenypup

Thanks everyone! 



ForTheLoveOfDogs said:


> She looks great! Even her skin nippy flappys look less in those pics. Seriously though, awesome!


Omg I might steal the term nippy flappys!!! 



Amaryllis said:


> She looks fantastic! I'd say her weight is perfect, or near to it. She's not as skinny as Kabota, but she doesn't have his bad hip, either, so she shouldn't be. She is just such a happy, pretty girl. I'm so glad you went for it.


I'm glad too!! She's a frustrating nut ball sometimes but she's my favorite thing in the world! I think she's about where I want to keep her judging by her outline from the top.



ireth0 said:


> Her belly looks very much like Luna's belly, hehe. Whenever we go out into public at least SOMEBODY will mention that she's had puppies recently.


All. the. time. Either randomly telling someone else in passing matter of fact that "she just had puppies!" or asking me. Oh well! If you go back to the beginning of the thread everyone thought she was ABOUT to have puppies, so this is much better! 

OH, and I used to get a lot that people didn't believe she was about 5 years old. They would insist she was much older. So imagine my surprise when a man passed and asked if she was two years old (don't know how he thought he could tell lol) and told me she looked so good for her age when I told him she was around 5! Didn't seem like he really knew what a 5 year old dog should look like, but at least a layperson can tell she's more vibrant and healthy.


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## Eenypup

Also... I realized I had this old picture of Bennie giving up on a walk back in May and it's such a funny comparison to the picture of her playing dead the other day


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## luv mi pets

:whoo::clap2::cheer2: Bennie you are disappearing before our very eyes. Too bad she can't do a weight watchers commercial for dogs. Good job to both of you


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## Eenypup

So at around 54 lb we have come to the end of our weight loss journey! She's a super crazy dog who today spent over an hour at the park and we only went home because I was tired!!  I spend a lot of time worrying about her and everything surrounding her but our relationship has gotten so much better and her behavior is amazing. I love training her and she adores it too! We've been spending a TON of time at the parks recently so I have lots of pictures from that.


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## Sibe

Amazing. Impressive. Inspiring. You did it!!!


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## luv mi pets

:rockon::clap2::whoo::cheer2:

That is so awesome! She looks so good.


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## CandyLeopard

Beautiful!! Congrats on reaching your goal with her.


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## SDRRanger

congratulations on sticking with it. She looks amazing and I bet she has a lot more fun carrying around almost half her weight. You should be very proud!


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## Eenypup

Thanks guys!!  We should try to get a side picture to show her transformation from 81 to 54 lb hehe.


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## ireth0

She looks so great! It looks like her belly has tucked up a lot too.


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## Eenypup

Lol false!! She has belly skins for days!


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## ireth0

Eenypup said:


> Lol false!! She has belly skins for days!


Aw, so does Luna but it's a lot better than it was! Or that's what people tell me anyway. I think it's hard to tell for yourself sometimes because you're with her all the time.


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## dogsule

Wow, just seeing this thread now. The journey has been amazing. She look soooo much better. You have done a great job with her. She is really pretty!!


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## Adjecyca1

WOW great job!


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## d_ray

Omg amazing. Way to go. Great job!! She's so sweet.


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## Foresthund

Good to see her doing so well!


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## Eenypup

The weather's been pretty bad so we haven't taken many nice pictures recently. I'll just drop all of the most recent photos of her in here, although I think a few have been posted in other areas of DF. I like to have one place to keep track of her & look through her pics 

General update, she weighs 50 lbs and is totally done losing weight. She dipped a bit below that on the scale at Petco today so I got her a beef trachea as a treat, which was gone in about five minutes  She's overall really great but has become SUPER cuddly. Like crawl into your lap and curl up as though she's a tiny dog cuddly. Funny that she seems to be getting more comfortable even 6 months in! Her manners are veeery slowly improving. Embarrassed me again at Petco today, but such is life with an energetic adult bully who has no previous training background!









The final result!









The face of a dog about to discover the wonders of trachea









Who also thinks she's a cat or something...









_And_ who's ready for winter!


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## luv mi pets

Great looking dog Have you taken her back to the shelter so they can see the new and improved Bennie? I know if I was a shelter worker, I would love to see her transformation.


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## gingerkid

She looks so great! Its bee wonderful following your journey together. I can't wait to see where you go next!


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## Eenypup

She went back with us about 3 months post-adoption, but she looks completely different now! I'll probably see sometime in the next few months if they want another visit from her, which I'm sure they will  

Also I have no idea why I wrote "but" referring to her cuddliness... I LOVE IT. Seriously. She's becoming more attached to me & my girlfriend and I'm so happy about it. There's such a difference between her greeting us on the street (like if I walk her to meet my gf at the train station or something) and greeting strangers now!


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## Eenypup

I guess I was wrong about her winter readiness... She started shivering in the jacket after we hung out in the park for about 30 minutes (mind you it was above freezing so not that terrible..). So I got her a sweater to layer underneath! No being cold now!! It also is a size too big on purpose so that it covers more surface area than her jacket. Silly dog isn't used to being skinny in the winter!

She's hovering just under 50 lb and I think I'd rather her be just above 50, so she's been getting an increase in kibble and special treats. She's quite happy about that! We've dabbled in pig ears, whole scrambled eggs, and certainly some dark meat turkey from Thanksgiving.  I'm most thrilled that she's really bonded to me. I was so insecure about this before and now she doesn't want to be anywhere except in my lap at all times. She is very bold about imposing herself and making her way into my lap for cuddles, lol. And at Petco today she didn't have more than a passing interest in the workers she used to fawn over! Gasp! She likes having visitors over still (she loves my friends from school) but she's not starved for strangers' attention anymore.  As an added bonus, that means she doesn't bother to jump up on strangers anymore. Hallelujah!


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## jade5280

She's so gorgeous!!


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## Eenypup

Thank you!  She's an adorable annoying squish face, that's for sure!


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## Eenypup

Much nicer Christmas picture now that we decorated a bit


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## BostonBullMama

So cute!


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## SDRRanger

I remember when you were first asking for advice on adopting her....she's a totally different looking dog now.


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## Eenypup

When I look at old pictures of her, even months after we adopted her, it doesn't look like the dog I own right now. Very weird! In my mind I picture her always looking like a skinny mini


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## Eenypup

Bennie had her first real Christmas!! Some of her more fun toys didn't come yet and I just yesterday ordered a raccoon fur toy that I hope she'll LOVE, but she did get a bunch of cheapies from Petsmart and an antler too. She loved destroying them all and running all around the apartment grabbing different toys! Mind you the first two pictures were taken approximately 2 minutes apart...




























Also just because I finally got my first decent cell phone and could take a nice picture outside


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## jade5280

She looks good in red!


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## Eenypup

Just gonna dump a few photos in here... She HATES the winter weather! Thought we would have a nice fun time in the snow and she just sulked around. You can see in the pictures that she looks like she's being tortured... Silly dog. She's gotten a lot of new stuff even after Christmas, some toys and a cute new tag. Still waiting for her raccoon fur toy that I have a feeling she'll love


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## KAT1892

I've been checked out of DF for awhile, but coming back I am SO impressed with Bennie and her weight loss! She looks very content! What a sweetheart.


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## Eenypup

She really is a sweetheart! A very dopey and often crazy sweetheart, but one nonetheless 

I just looked back at those pictures again, and can't believe we used to own that dog. Feels like she's always been a thin dog!!


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## Eenypup

Just because I have pictures...


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## GrinningDog

You've done absolutely wonderful things for this dog. Bennie looks AMAZING, SO healthy and happy. And that doggy sweater is adorable on her!


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## chimunga

Bennie is probably one of the most gorgeous dogs I have ever seen. She just has the most lovely face.


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## Eenypup

Aw thanks you guys!  She's a pretty girl and she is always in sweaters these days because she's a shivery little thing!


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## Eenypup

I guess I should update huh?  Almost 11 months since we adopted Bennie! Going to need to start planning for her 1 year Adoptaversary soon!! I can't believe it! She's so so absolutely perfect and I cannot get over how adorable she is. And she's very pleased that we've been having a few days of decent weather, considering she prefers it sunny and over 60


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## Remaru

Bennie is not alone in her preferences, I also prefer sunny and over 60. LOL She looks amazing! She just looks so happy and vibrant. I think she deserves some great toys and a fun outing for her adoptaversary.


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## CandyLeopard

She looks amazing!! Her face is so adorable.


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## jade5280

Love her face in that last pic. What a sweetheart.


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## BubbaMoose

Omg, the pic of her on the red rug is TOO cute. Can't believe it's already coming up on a year that you've had her. I remember when you started posting about her well before the adoption went through. Time flies, she is so lucky to have you!


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## Eenypup

She looks absolutely amazing to me too! Who would've know she could blossom into such a gorgeous, happy girl 

I can't wait to post about and celebrate her adoptaversary! I'm already thinking about what I want to buy her and it's a month away!!


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## chimunga

You have done so much with her in a year. I mean, jeez. You should be so proud of yourself.


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## Canyx

This is one of my favorite threads on this forum. She looks AMAZING. So happy and vibrant and youthful.


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## Whistlejacket

D'aww, she looks adorable with a coat/a sweater on. What a pretty, pretty girl.


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## ForTheLoveOfDogs

Bennie sure has it good now and continues to look so good. You've been so great to her. Happy almost adoptaversary!


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## JazzyTheSiberian

It's been so neat following this thread, and seeing her progress through the months. Sge's changed so much, and it's for the best.It's truly amazing all you've done for her!

Things go so fast, I can't believe you've only had her for a 11 months.


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## dagwall

Eenypup said:


> She looks absolutely amazing to me too! Who would've know she could blossom into such a gorgeous, happy girl
> 
> I can't wait to post about and celebrate her adoptaversary! I'm already thinking about what I want to buy her and it's a month away!!


Jubel and Bennie have the same Gotcha Day! I'm going to have to celebrate Jubel's a bit early though because we'll be on vacation without him on the actual day. I'll probably ask the daycare/boarding peoples to do something nice for him that day since I won't be there to do it myself.


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## ChelseaOliver

Call it hormones but I got all teary eyed looking through these photos and seeing how happy and healthy she is now! Love, love, LOVE her.


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## ChelseaOliver

Eenypup said:


> Every time I walk her she just gets mocked and laughed at and it's really frustrating that the fat can't just fall off


I'm commenting a second time I know but I had NO idea she was so overweight when you brought her home!! She looks amazing now! This is an old quote but I would be very upset if I was working with my dog on her losing weight and people on the street were mocking her, I'm sorry that happened to you and Bennie.


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## Eenypup

Thanks for all of the wonderful comments everyone! I'm so glad I've been able to share how far we've come and that you all seem to love her at least a tiny fraction of how much I do 

We walked I about 5 or 6 miles yesterday... I couldn't imagine that last year. Now we can check out so many cool areas of the city instead of walking laps around the nearby blocks!


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## taquitos

Go Bennie go!

She sure is lucky to have found you


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## Eenypup

Updating just because I can


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## d_ray

Love the pics. Esp the one with her on the carpet. That face!


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## Eenypup

Thanks! She tends to look quite dramatic when she gets bored


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## Eenypup

Reviving her thread from the dead! Wish I had a nicer camera because I love taking photos of her.
































































Abilene was clearly thrilled to have Bennie stay the night for the first time...


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## Sibe

I still can't believe she's the same dog as she was when she looked like a pygmy hippo. I adore her!


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## Canyx

Looks like her skin is less flappy in the belly! And she is looking fiiiiiiiine. Good job, as usual! 
We have a pittie type dog in the shelter I work at that makes me think of Benny. Not nearly as interesting personality-wise, sad to say, but super overweight and more hippo-like than dog!


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## BellaPup

Loooooooooooooove that Miss Bennie! <3


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## ireth0

<3 Bennie!


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## Eenypup

She's a lovable dog!! Every hippo like pit ends up reminding me of her. One of the shelter volunteers had recently seen a post about a similar looking pit (weight and color) as Bennie was when she was in their shelter and linked me to it. She thought I might have a connection of someone else looking for a chunky bully, lol!


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## cookieface

Benny looks really good! Her eyes are so expressive.

As an aside, are the murals in the first two photos in the city? We were at the Mann a few weeks ago and passed a series of seemingly out-of-place, but pretty murals along (I think) Lancaster Ave.


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## Eenypup

cookieface said:


> As an aside, are the murals in the first two photos in the city? We were at the Mann a few weeks ago and passed a series of seemingly out-of-place, but pretty murals along (I think) Lancaster Ave.


Yes they are! There are a lot of amazing, albeit often seemingly out-of-place, murals in the city  This particular one is on the side of a building adjacent to an empty lot that people use all the time as a makeshift dog park, around the Art Museum area.


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## chimunga

Eeeee. I love Bennie updates!


----------



## cookieface

Eenypup said:


> Yes they are! There are a lot of amazing, albeit often seemingly out-of-place, murals in the city  This particular one is on the side of a building adjacent to an empty lot that people use all the time as a makeshift dog park, around the Art Museum area.


Cool! The Art Museum area is nice; where we were wasn't.


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## Eenypup

I've been mostly posting new threads when I wanted to post pictures, but I figured I'd just post these in this thread. So here you go.


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## Canyx

The last one SLAYED me.


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## taquitos

She is sooo cute I love her. She really makes me miss having a squishy snuggly Bully around <3

That last one killed me tooooo


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## dagwall

Bennie is so adorable! I love her all smooshed up behind people on the couch.


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## Eenypup

Ha, thanks! She's a very very squishy dog!

We went on another hike yesterday so we could get out before it's too cold!


----------

