150-Pound German Shepherd Loses 50 Pounds | The Dodo Comeback Kids

He's 50 pounds overweight. Wrong way. Don't get discouraged. I just adopted Tony. I think Tony had really given up. When I first showed him love, he kind of nudged his head into me. It stole my heart. Let's start this workout. My biggest worries are heart problems, hip and joint issues. He needs to lose a third of his body weight. Tony was found as a stray. He was adopted and returned. I don't think that he felt that he would ever really experience love. But this time, he is never going back again. We're home. Tony just really needs a family that believes in him. My family consists of eight other rescue dogs, and Tony makes nine. You can drink out of all the bowls. He just really didn't believe in himself. Come on, buddy. Come on. Good boy. Come on. You got it. Come on. The first night, he was kind of distant. He would try to hide, but he was so big, there was nowhere he could really hide. How a dog is feeling on the inside is what you see on the outside. He wouldn't stand to eat. He just couldn't hold himself up. He couldn't catch a treat. Almost. He had been so used to people not giving him affection. I didn't want him to think that's what was going to happen. I'm going to swarm this dog with so much love so that he knows that he's the most special dog. I believe that is going to be the key ingredient to his success. You guys, let go. You can't get on one bed. Come on. Wake up. We're going for a walk. Come on, Tony. Let's go, baby. Good boy, Tony Bear. Where are you going? Day one, getting Tony-toned. There you go, buddy. The way Tony is going to lose the weight is by just doing his best to keep up with the pack. Let's keep going. Tony was so surprised by how much I was trying to motivate him. You got this. Come on. You can tell he's never heard it before. Look at those abs coming in. You're so close. Get in there, Tony. Let Tony catch up to you so he can play with you. Let Tony play with you, Stella, please. Don't give up, Tony. I have no doubt that you can jump out of this car. Come on. Yeah. Even after that first workout, Tony seemed to have a little bit more confidence. Yeah, you home now. Tony's first vet visit. 147. Nice, Tony. Oh, buddy. Yeah. The first day that I left for a work meeting was big for us. I'll be back. He's running after the car, Tony. Seeing Tony chase me on the empty road, that's when I finally knew he knows that I love him. I really see a lot of my younger self in him. I thought no one would love me. I had severe learning disabilities. I was so tired of getting bullied. One day, I ran away from school, and I ran to the dog shelter. I started going there every day. I would talk to them, and I would tell them, I promise I'm going to save all of you. I had a nine-to-five job, but I quit to travel around the country and promote dog adoption. As soon as Tony is a little bit more mobile, we're going to hit the road again and show people what dog adoption is really all about. In this family of misfits, what we have is unconditional love. Each dog is such a great example. Everyone that meets Stella says that they used to be afraid of pit bulls. All she wants to do is cuddle with Butters, who's very abused. So I thought he was going to be this very scared dog. And instead, he is the most confident beast. Bo's owner told me to find him a home or take him to the shelter. Callie is very demanding, but she deserves it. You really got him. You got in the mouth. I didn't think Lily was going to make it. She was having several seizures a day. Can you get off of Molly? Molly is from that shelter when I was in school. Queen, she's the oldest out of the pack. And then Penny, the most petrified chihuahua I have ever seen. She's definitely not petrified now. Yeah, are you going to do something, Penny? What are you going to do? Just out of curiosity. Penny, are you good, or is Tony crushing you? Two chihuahuas fell in love with Tony right away, jumping on him. And he just doesn't do anything. Tony, that's Queen's bed, buddy. They are a huge reason why Tony felt at home. If the littles are too much, Bo will actually step in between them and let them know, like, all right, that's enough. Bo is 100% Tony's personal trainer. Oh, they're playing. Dude, they're playing. Tony is trying to keep up with him. He motivates him in every single way. There you go. Bo, do you plan on traveling with him? Oh, yeah, for sure. 123.1. He just needs to lose a little bit more weight before Tony is ready for the road. You're my boy. Boy, you do good for me now. I never saw it coming. I was actually nervous about how Lily will do with him. You don't have to stand right next to him, Lily. Go pee as well. Lily and Tony are attached to the hip. Look what we have here. Oh, my goodness. No, don't get up, Lily. Go back into the position. They just adore each other. They always have to be touching each other. Tony is Lily's boyfriend. You don't want to mess with her boyfriend. I think Tony gained a lot of confidence from Lily. Look at him moving around. He's like a puppy now. His personality is really starting to come out. Look at him go, guys. Okay, Stella, that was rude. Tony, that's not a toy. No, it's not a toy. Great work, Tony. I don't even recognize him. I don't know, like, how you think we operate over here, Tony. Money don't grow on trees. You know what your problem is? No one can have a serious conversation anymore. Tony is starting to realize that it doesn't matter how much weight he gains or loses, whatever it is that he does, he's always going to be perfect in my eyes. He is home. Tony is finally healthy enough and ready to go on some real adventures. Boy, look at you. Wow. We ready to go? No, no, no, Lily, not like that. Like, we're driving away. That's my fault. We're gonna go drive somewhere, everybody. Look at my boy. Open road. Come on, guys. It's Tony's first time at the beach. Every time we stop, we're somewhere new. New smells, new activities. Tony is running around, losing more weight, and, of course, having an amazing time. To make a life better, that's what life is about. Rescuing is so beautiful because you saved a life. If someone goes to a breeder, that means they're leaving a dog in the shelter. Rescuing is actually a pretty easy way to see what love and life is all about. Tony is part of our pack now. He's family. Tony only has two pounds left to lose, so I have an idea. This traffic is ridiculous. In order for Tony to lose the last two pounds, we're going to run across the Brooklyn Bridge. Two pounds away, Tony. Benny's gonna help us get there, huh? All right, come on, come on, T. Just keep going. Good job. Tony did amazing. 99 pounds. You did it, bud. Getting ready to go to Sacramento SPCA. I want to show them how grateful I am. Where did you go? You look so good. Tony has lost over 50 pounds. Let's start this workout. He is just a different dog in every single way, except for how loving he is and how beautiful he is. I believed in him, and then he believed in himself. It doesn't matter the size, what the breed is. We accept each other no matter what. A healthy family requires unconditional love. Love with no judgment. I know it sounds corny, but imagine if we all lived that way. I'm doing laundry today, and I'm cleaning all of the dog beds. And look what I find. I mean, look at all these beautiful souls. Imagine all the puppies living in one big house. You know, I'm trying to go with that. It's not... I'm still working on it, but you guys get it.