Obese Dog Was Abandoned and Left for Dead but Found a Life Full of Love with Celebrity Jane Lynch
It's hard to imagine neglecting a dog's health and happiness, let alone abandoning the dog entirely when you move, but that's exactly what happened to Arbuckle. The plump pup was left behind on the family farm when the family departed.
In fact, Arbuckle was 50 pounds overweight and in poor health when he was rescued by Dogs Naturally Magazine in 2017. Weighing in at 116 pounds, the dog was discovered in a field near Tulare, California, and taken in by the L.A.-based shelter.
Rescuers from Dogs Naturally Magazine noted, "Obesity in pets is a serious issue that can lead to numerous health problems. We were shocked to see Arbuckle's condition; he could barely walk due to his weight." His joints were unable to sustain his incredible weight.
The rescue took him to the vet, where they also discovered that the poor dog was suffering from hypothyroidism. Thankfully, that is not where Arbuckle's story ended.
It took a team of specialists a great deal of dedication to nurse Arbuckle back to health, but they documented his weight loss journey on Instagram, where he amassed over 100k followers.
Even better, the sweet dog was adopted by celebrity Jane Lynch, who gushed over her beloved pet.
Arbuckle lost the weight he needed to lose, but the impact of the strain on his body meant that he didn't have many years left to live.
Jane gave Arbuckle the best final years imaginable, but he sadly passed away due to related health complications in 2019. When he passed, Jane turned to social media to encourage donations to A Purposeful Rescue in his honor, and overnight the organization received $5,000 from her fans! His memory lives on.
Hillary Rosen, the founder of A Purposeful Rescue, said:
“The army of people who rallied behind him was like nothing I have witnessed in rescue. We’ve rescued some really hot-mess dogs, but Arbs was truly a miracle dog. He was infectious. He made all of us want to be better and do better. Watching his determination to live and love was a pretty powerful thing to witness, and the fact that he had all these people rooting for him is a testament to who he was.”
Check out Arbuckle's weight loss story:
Rest in Power, Arbuckle!
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