Pam Heggie didn’t set out to adopt older, overweight dogs, but after several years and now two pooches shedding pounds, they seem to have become her weakness.
First, there was 10-year-old Kai. They left him at a veterinary clinic in Onoway, Alta.
In March 2018, Kai weighed 173 pounds. He could barely stand due to the weight.
Heggie was contacted by Alberta Animal Rescue Misfits and challenged with the task of helping him lose weight.
With a special diet and lots of exercise, she has lost more than 100 pounds.
The next task was to find a home for Kai and he did, and Heggie fell in love with the plump dog.
“Kai is my dog, I am his person. Now he’s a therapy dog, he’s very people-oriented. “
Read more:
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Two years later, 10-year-old Woody arrived. He appeared to be drowning in a muddy stream near Coaldale in June 2020.
At 210 pounds, Woody was so big that he had to be weighed on a cattle scale.
Rescuers knew he needed to lose weight and immediately knew Heggie could help him.
“I couldn’t believe the size of him either,” Heggie explained.
“He wasn’t as immobile as Kai when we got him, but his weight was definitely affecting his quality of life.”
But for the second time, he managed to intervene, causing Woody to lose 100 pounds.
Once healthy, the plan was for them to adopt him to live the rest of his life in a field. However, there was a problem: it tended to drift away.
“He does not listen and does what he wants.”
Pam Heggie’s dogs, Kai and Woody, at their home in Edmonton, Alta. in December 2021.
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And so, for the second time, Heggie took in the dog whose life she saved. They, in turn, have helped change hers.
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Heggie has shared the stories of the inspiring puppies. on social media and has received endless support in response.
“Everyone is very excited to see and cheer for them. It’s crazy, and then reaching out just to say, ‘I had a really bad day and then you posted that funny video.’
Pam Heggie’s dogs, Kai and Woody, at their home in Edmonton, Alta. in December 2021.
Supplied
And while he never expected to be a home for overweight senior dogs, he says he wouldn’t do it any other way now.
“You stay with them through thick and thin. And these guys, literally thick and thin. “
– with files from Sarah Komadina, Global News
Reference-globalnews.ca