CANADIAN LAKES, Mich. — A dog adopted in West Michigan has gone from almost 100 pounds to just over 30 pounds less than a year after being rescued.
"He's a happy boy now," Mike Steinhelper, one of his owners, says.
Winston the beagle is living his best life in Canadian Lakes.
"He's very keen on making up for lost time hunting squirrels," Mike says.
When Winston isn't staring out the window looking for squirrels, he likes to nap, go on walks and explore his neighborhood.
"He loves being out on the deck, especially if a boater comes by or a fisherman," Mike says.
Winston is about 11 or 12 years old, and he wasn't always this active.
"He weighed 96 pounds," Mike says.
He was rescued by Pound Buddies last summer in Muskegon county, back when he was named Rolo.
"We've learned bits and pieces here and there," Mike says. "He was kind of just left outside 24/7 with a big giant bowl of food that was maybe filled once a week."
He was adopted by Mike and Karen Steinhelper last August. They've rehabbed two other obese beagles before.
"We feel lucky, we're in a position where we can help them," Mike says.
"He has a happy look in his eye and bounces around plays with the other dogs and everything. So it's definitely feels like we accomplished something in order to help him," Karen says.
It took months of physical therapy to get him down to 33 pounds, which is a healthy weight for a beagle.
"He really started coming into his own when he was about 50 or 60 pounds really, having a good time exploring and he could start doing the things he wanted to do," Mike says.
They hope that others feel inspired by Winston's story to give other shelter animals a second chance.
"If a person has any inkling that they think they would want to adopt a dog in need or a dog with special needs, go for it," Karen says. "There are people who can support you and help you."
"It's kind of cliché that you'll get more out of it than they will, but you'll both get a tremendous amount out of it," Mike says.
Winston is expecting to finish up physical therapy this summer.
The Steinhelpers have been documenting Winston's journey, as well as the daily lives of their entire beagle brigade, on this Facebook page.