Well, it's that time of year when we're all making our resolutions to kick off the new year. For many, that goal is getting healthy. One adorable pup is ahead of the game! Bertha the dog just lost half her body weight. The result is an amazing doggy makeover.
Pre-weight loss, Bertha was definitely a big girl, and judging by her photos, she looked pretty adorable either way. But dogs who gain too much weight can have difficulty getting around. Bertha might've looked cute, but her quality of life wasn't great.
Luckily, one very special dog trainer saw a photo of Bertha on Facebook in November of last year and stepped in to help the sweet girl.
Meredith Wille is an expert dog trainer. She says that as soon as she saw a photo of Bertha on Facebook, she knew the dog needed help. Bertha, a puggle (pug and beagle mix), was up for adoption when her photo was shared. Then something magical happened.
Bertha met her new trainer. Meredith shared with People magazine why she had to get involved. "It was just this horrifying picture of this ridiculously fat puggle," the licensed veterinary technician and certified canine fitness trainer and rehabilitation practitioner said. "I have a lot to offer dogs that are injured and overweight, so I thought 'How can I not help this poor dog?'"
She "knew it was going to be a long haul," she said. But she felt like without a serious weight loss plan, Bertha's quality of life would be pretty dismal. She reached out to Stark County Humane Society in Louisville, Ohio, where Bertha was staying, to inquire about fostering the dog.
Meredith also offered to cover the costs of Bertha's rehab. The shelter accepted her application, and soon enough, Bertha was in Pittsburgh with Meredith. She said Bertha looked like "Jabba the Hut" when she first met her.
Not only did Bertha look a little silly in her very puffy figure, she also could barely walk. Meredith said she could only take a couple of steps before having to lie down. Anyone knows, but especially an expert dog trainer, that that's simply no way for a dog to spend the rest of their life.
Meredith started in on Bertha's weight loss regimen right away. She says she relied on a high-protein diet with low-calorie dog food and low-calorie treats. But there was also a lot of exercise! Bertha had biweekly underwater-treadmill sessions at Steel City Rehab and Sports Medicine, where Meredith is the clinic director.
Shockingly, Bertha could barely last for 15 seconds! But after several months of hard work, now she can go for 20 minutes. Since her strength has improved, more exercises have been added, too, like going up and down steps.
It wasn't a quick turnaround, but Bertha lost weight steadily. By the summer, she had lost about 20 pounds. Then in June she had surgery to repair the tendons in one of her ankles, which was injured due to her weight. "That was a game-changer," Meredith said of the surgery. "She became very mobile."
What's even sweeter is that Meredith has decided to adopt Bertha for good. "She’s not going anywhere!" Meredith said. "People say, 'You did miracles for her.' All I did was love this sweet, little dog." Still, she gave the dog an incredible gift and a new lease on life. There are probably very few people who would've been so committed to the task.
