Roxey

Dog helps man lose 30 pounds

Roxey is a hulking mastiff who was looking for a home. Tim Gross, who lives on a farm in East Richmond, was looking for a canine companion. The match has proved perfect for Roxey, who had a few health issues that are now resolved. It also proved perfect for Tim – he’s lost 30 pounds since he adopted the six-year-old.

Roxey can’t take all the credit for Tim’s weight loss. Regular walks around the farm and outings to their favourite destination, Iona Beach, are part of a larger self-improvement program that includes the calorie-counting app Lose It!

For her part, Roxey weighs in at a substantial 105 pounds. When she was in the shelter, she had some problems, now resolved.

“With her stomach, she had to be on special food and she was having problems with her ears as well, which has cleared up 100%, which is awesome,” said Tim. “We’ve got her on some different food now and she’s loving it.”

Roxey was adored by the staff at the Richmond Animal Protection Society, which runs the city animal shelter where Tim met Roxey. But it is a reality of our job that we rejoice when an animal finds a forever home. We were especially thrilled to hear about how perfect the bond is between Roxey and Tim. Better still, the fact that Roxey is part of Tim’s success in getting outside, exercising and losing weight underscores what we really believe: Companion animals are good for our health, they get us outside, they encourage us in their own way to follow a routine and they help build community.

“I’m really happy,” said Tim. “I tell everyone about RAPS now. It’s a great place.”

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