Phoenix, Arizona – A severely overweight dog was just dragging himself through life before his new owners rescued him and took him on a magical weight-loss journey.

How could this happen? Looking like an engorged tick, poor Wolfgang was severely overweight, as pictures on his Instagram account obese_beagle prove.

It sounds mean to reduce him only to his weight, but Wolfgang followed everyone with his eyes because his waddling steps couldn't keep up with what was going on around him.

His owners published the unbelievable story of his journey on social media, and followers all over the world fell in love with the big boy who was on his way to health and happiness.

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The couple shared how they had adopted Wolfgang from an animal shelter, but had no idea how he had been allowed to grow to such an enormous size.

Such cases are often the sad result of a type of neglect, the same way as with dogs who aren't given enough food. If the owners were unable to properly get the dog exercise or training, they might have simply allowed their pet to eat at will.

His new family decided to put Wolfgang on a diet and documented their successes on the Instagram account.

It wasn't an easy road, according to the owners, but with lots of love, a healthy diet, and exercise, the dog steadily got more active and healthier. What was particularly cute was that he loved holding a cuddly toy between his teeth while exercising!

Within two years, Wolfgang lost two thirds of his weight. From nearly 90 pounds, he steadily shed his extra baggage and is now a healthy 33 pounds.

Finally Wolfgang could romp around the house with the other dogs! Long walks were soon no longer a problem for him.

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His owners were grateful for the transformation, and Wolfgang's followers online were thankful that someone took the time and energy to care for him – because the effort truly did save his life.

Wolfgang's story is a good reminder that there are more dogs in shelters with health issues that can be resolved with the right love and care.

Fortunately, Wolfgang is very healthy today. He still lives happily with his new family in Arizona.