How do I put this delicately? Our newly adopted, wonderful and sweet Chihuahuas, Junior and Mindy, are, well – ahem, a tad chubby. Chunky butterballs, really.

Mindy and Junior

This makes them extra adorable. It also, statistically, will take two years off their lifespans. It’s time to get to work.

A bit of background. Junior and Mindy originally hail from South Carolina – they ended up with a rescue group there when their person passed on. They’re a bonded pair of littermates, almost 7 years old. Several months later, they were transferred to one of our favorite rescue organizations, Paws for Seniors. They began the weight loss process with them.

We brought Junior and Mindy home with us as fosters, six days ago – our household includes four senior cats with special needs and we had to make sure that they would be comfortable with any new additions to our family. It was almost instantaneous. We’ve now officially adopted them.

We want Junior and Mindy to live long, healthy and happy lives – as we wish for all of your animals. As we guide them through their weight loss program, we plan on sharing their progress with you, in hopes that their improved selves will help others out there.

Excuse me, it’s time for our walk!