Organization
The Asheville Humane Society is an organization dedicated to finding animals their new forever homes.
They have a strict No-Kill policy and work very hard to find animals' great adoptive families to take them in. The shelter is located in North Carolina and has raving reviews.
New Pup
The Asheville Humane Society was very excited when they received their newest walk-in: Miss Butterworth.
She came into the shelter around the end of June, and the staff at the organization absolutely fell in love with her and her full-figure.
Chihuahua
Miss Butterworth was perfect for the animal shelter as she was friendly, loving, and absolutely adorable.
The only problem that the 9-year-old dog was struggling with was her weight, and the shelter knew they had to do something about it.
Left Behind
You see, her original family left behind Miss Butterworth, so it was up to the organization to get her in the best shape for her health.
So they decided to make her health their top priority to be put up for adoption as soon as possible.
Plump Grape
“_She had a little tiny head and a great big body, and she just looked like a giant stuffed grape_,” said Sharon Wood, Miss Butterworth’s foster.
The medical staff then went and weighed Miss B and found that she was 20.2 pounds, making her morbidly obese.
Employee
“_She was dropped off by a family member of the person who owned her previously, who passed away_,” said an Asheville Humane Society employee.
“_No one in the family could take care of her, and she was overweight, and our medical team said, ‘We cannot spay her. She needs to lose some weight before she can do that_.'”
Weight Loss Journey
According to the medical staff, Miss B should have been about half her size based on her tiny frame.
Her weight wasn’t just a vanity issue either, as it was severely impacting Miss B’s health and happiness. She was finding it difficult to do just about anything.
Health Concerns
Miss B’s extra weight was preventing her from enjoying her life. She could not move around easily, and her size was also making it difficult for her to breathe.
Since she could not be spayed, she was placed into foster care and put on a weight loss plan.
Big Changes
The organization decided to put Miss B on a strict diet and exercise plan. The end goal was to help her lose ten pounds so that she could eventually be adopted.
They decided to launch an online campaign to get the Internet involved, and it soon became viral…
Slow Start
Miss B’s regime started slowly with a 5-10 minute walk each day. They never pushed Miss B, and they allowed her to exercise based on her own pace and comfort level.
As she began to lose weight, she moved faster each time, and everyone was excited for Miss B!
Social Media
The organization set up the online campaign for Miss B and would periodically update it with her progress. They never expected it to blow up the way that it did.
Soon all of the update posts about Miss B would receive hundreds of likes and comments supporting Miss B’s progress.
Updates
“_Many of you have been following Miss Butterworth’s inspiring weight-loss journey_,” the shelter wrote in a Facebook post.
“_She came to us around 20 pounds, barely able to move and having trouble breathing, due to morbid obesity_.”
Update Continued
According to one of the contestants, “_She needed to be about half her size, and Miss Butterworth’s life was in danger. Fast forward to her latest weigh-in … Miss B. was down to 15.9 pounds!!!_”
“_We do her weigh-ins every couple weeks, and she’s lost 20 percent of her body weight_,” another shelter employee added in.
Donations
The shelter decided to use Miss B’s post to help gather donations from users greatly invested in her story.
“_Will you donate $15 for 15 pounds” in honor of Miss Butterworth?? The donation will directly benefit the Asheville Humane Society’s Foster Program_,” the Facebook post read.
Relatable
“_I think a lot of people can relate to her weight-loss story_,” said a shelter employee.
“_A lot of people have their own weight struggles, and to see this sweet dog trying the best she can, I think people can relate to that_.”
6-Month Update
After 6 hard months of work and persistence, Miss B had lost all the weight she needed to.
“_Thank you to everyone who supported Miss Butterworth and followed her story! We especially want to thank her foster parents, Sharon and Barry, for all of the time and effort they spent caring for Miss B. and managing her busy social schedule_!” The shelter wrote on their site.
Goal Reached
Finally, after all that hard work Miss B was ready to undergo surgery to make her eligible for adoption.
Everyone on Facebook was eager for Miss B to be up for adoption as everyone was super invested in her and looking to snatch her up for themselves.
Surgery
In addition to getting spayed, Miss Butterworth had to undergo minor surgery, as her teeth were in desperate need of cleaning.
"_Dental care is critical to the overall health of our pets_!” said the Facebook post.
Success
Miss B’s surgery was a success, and she was wrapped up in blankets so that she could recover in comfort.
“_Miss Butterworth is safe and sound, resting comfortably after her surgery today!!! Her spay went very well, and so did her dental cleaning_.” The Facebook update said.
Adoption Time
Everyone has been looking to adopt the cutie, so the organization set up an online application process to find the best family for Miss B.
Miss B’s story is quite an inspiring one, and we can all take a lesson from her determination and persistence.