Obese dog loses weight, gains loving home

When Annika Bram’s rescue dog, Georgia, died last May, Bram promised herself she wouldn’t take in another pooch for a while.

Bram, 24, who is in her second year at the UC-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, planned to wait until she finished school.

While she missed having a dog, “I was just trying to be responsible,” she said.

But then Bram’s roommate sent her a video of an 8-yearold golden retriever named Frannie. The dog’s floppy ears and expressive eyes got her attention. The video was posted by a dog rescue group, Rover’s Retreat, in December.

Frannie was severely overweight, and had lived outside for her entire life. Her owners were planning to euthanize her, and she needed a home.

Frannie reminded Bram of Georgia — who was also overweight when Bram adopted her from a different rescue organization. The dog was 160 pounds when Bram got her, and she helped the pup lose 85 pounds during their five years together.

Suddenly, Bram decided she needed Frannie in her life.

“I was in shock; she looked identical to Georgia,” Bram said. “I think Georgia sent her to me. Georgia is telling me I need to help this dog.”

Bram immediately contacted Rover’s Retreat, offering to foster Frannie — who, at the time, weighed 125 pounds — about 65 pounds heavier than the average female golden retriever. Bram learned about Frannie’s backstory — and grew even more eager to give her a better life.

“She had just been living outside for the entirety of her eight years,” said Sydney Maleman, the president of the rescue group. Someone sent the organization a post on the neighborhood networking site Nextdoor detailing Frannie’s plight.

Although Frannie belonged to a family, she stayed in the backyard, Maleman said, and was fed tons of table scraps. That, in addition to untreated hypothyroidism, is probably what led to her obesity.

“She never had proper vet care,” Maleman said. “She was drinking out of a paint bucket.”

When Maleman went to rescue her, “it took four people to get her into the back of my minivan,” she said. “She’s really been put through the wringer, and I think we got her just in time.”

Still, challenges lay ahead. After being rescued, Frannie was taken to the vet, where she was treated for pneumonia and was “very medically unstable,” said Maleman.

She slowly recovered, and when it came time to find a foster home for her, Maleman said, Bram was the obvious choice.

“Annika just kept following up,” said Maleman. “After talking to her, we just knew that she was going to set Frannie up for success; she was willing to do everything and anything for a dog she never met.”

As soon as Frannie was cleared by a vet in mid-December, Bram drove about three hours from San Diego to Los Angeles to pick her up.

“When I brought her home, she was just completely defeated,” said Bram, who lives in a house with a few other students.

But Bram was committed. “I knew I was the best person to help this dog, and if anyone was going to do it, I was going to do it,” said Bram. “I wasn’t going to give up that easy.”

Initially, Frannie couldn’t even stand on her legs, so Bram helped her by placing her atop a container and teaching her how to put weight on her paws.

In less than three months, Frannie has already shed 31 pounds. In addition to taking thyroid medication, Frannie has been on a diet, and as she has become nimbler, she has also started exercising more. Bram’s goal, she said, is to get Frannie down to around 70 pounds.