Shedding pounds, gaining fans: Social media cheers little fat dog

A chunky Chihuahua who’s working hard to waddle and wiggle away the pounds is the weight loss role model we all need.

Little Miss Butterworth arrived at the local humane society in Asheville, N.C., weighing in at 20 pounds (9 kg) — more than twice what a dog of her size should weigh.

Diagnosed as morbidly obese, the overfed pooch “was nearly incapable of moving” and “had difficulty breathing, even when resting in her kennel,” according to the Asheville Humane Society.

Miss Butterworth came to the shelter in June after the death of her previous owner. Too obese to undergo surgery to be spayed, she could not be put up for adoption.

 

Miss Butterworth was surrendered to us weighing 19.9 pounds! Based on her small frame, she should be HALF her current size and can't be spayed until she loses some lbs! We've sent her to a foster home where she'll exercise and follow a healthy diet! Cheer her on as we do weekly weigh-ins, help her trim down, and give this sweet girl a #lifeworthliving!#TeamButterworth #weightlossjourney #weightlosschallenge #doggiediet #chihuahuamix #ashevillehumane

A post shared by Asheville Humane Society (@ashevillehumane) on Aug 8, 2017 at 8:43am PDT

So humane society workers put her on a new diet and exercise plan, chronicling her weight struggle every step of the way.

Though at first, she could go for walks of only 5 to 10 minutes before she became too exhausted, she is now up to 30-minute walks with her foster family and is eager for several outings a day. She can waddle her way up a few steps, wriggle and scratch in her dog bed, and even go for short swims with a doggie-sized lifejacket.

Miss Butterworth’s weight-loss story has made the tiny pooch into something of a local celebrity in Asheville, with many fans of #TeamButterworth following her regular weigh-ins on the humane society’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

The humane society’s Meredith Pitcairn says that it seems a lot of people can relate to Miss Butterworth’s weight troubles and are impressed with her determination.

“She has inspired a lot of people in Asheville. People have just been responding over social media, saying she inspires not only them, but their pets who are a little overweight too, to start a weight-loss challenge,” she told CTV News Channel on Monday.

Miss Butterworth’s hard work is paying off. As of five days ago, she was down to 14.6 pounds (6.6 kg) – a 30 per cent weight loss in just four months.

In fact, she was healthy enough to undergo her spaying Monday, and Pitcairn says she will soon be ready to find her forever home.

“We hope to get her down a few more pounds. Ideally, she should be down to about 10 pounds and then we want to adopt her to a home that will keep her on this weight-loss regiment for the rest of her life,” she said.