They say 'let sleeping dogs lie', but Britain's fattest dog, who grew to the size of a 'pot-bellied pig', has lost almost half of her body weight and finally found a home after getting active and kicking her hamburger habit.
Nicknamed 'Hattie the Fattie', she was taken into care weighing almost 40kg because her owner was unwell and wasn't able to provide the care she so desperately needed.
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A healthy female collie should weigh between 18 and 25kg, but Hattie was 36kg - the same weight as a small deer or two full bags of concrete.
But despite her large frame she soon won over carers at the animal sanctuary where she was staying.
Deputy manager of Gables Farm shelter in Plymouth, Devon, Ruth explained: "We have seen some wrecked animals that we have found homes for after proper care, nutrition and TLC."
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They caring staff put Hattie the overweight pooch on a special, strictly-controlled diet and took her out four or five times a day. Her weight fell slowly and safely to her healthy goal weight of 23kg.
The charity also set up a fundraiser to help cover her vet bills, including twice-daily insulin shots and cataracts surgery to restore her vision.
"Since she started losing weight, she's changed - it was like she had no real enjoyment of life before and was just existing," Ruth confessed.
Offers to re-home the once-plump pooch came flooding into the sanctuary once her health was back on track, but her rescuer Ruth, 51, said she couldn't give her up because they had a special bond. So she decided to adopt her and become her permanent owner.
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Ruth explained: "I couldn't imagine her living with anyone else. I did get very attached to her and all her little funny ways."
Hattie was in a bad way when she arrived at the shelter in April last year: she was morbidly obese, diabetic and almost blind.
Ruth confessed: "When I first saw Hattie I couldn't believe it as she looked more like a pot-bellied pig than a dog.
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"I just knew we had to try and help her. I take her home with me at night so I can administer her insulin injections, which she tolerates very well.
"As the weight has started to come off we have found that she is very spirited and extremely loving, despite the fact we put her on a diet.
"She spends her days in our reception, keeping an eye on the staff and customers, and as we watch her gain confidence and lose weight it makes me proud that we are a genuine non euthanasia charity."
Featured Image Credit: SWNS