Gus is clearly a Beagle with a backstory.
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Because no one at Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah, knows exactly how the dog got to be as heavy as he was.
When he arrived at the shelter last July, the beagle topped out at 77 pounds, roughly 30 pounds more than he should have weighed. Shortly after his arrival, his new caretakers decided to put him on a diet.
Says a blog entry on the site about Gus’s first days:
Gus enjoyed being outside and wading in a kiddie pool — which took some doing to get into. But walking? Forget it. The seven-year-old dog wasn’t used to exercise, so every step was a struggle. Sometimes he’d look up at caregivers with his melt-your-heart hound dog eyes, as if to say he just couldn’t bear to move another inch.
But with the help of a wagon, the dog got more interested in moving, step by baby step.
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Now, Gus walks five miles a day and is down 30 pounds — and he’s on his way to losing more.
Way to go, Gus!