Loveable lab with canine dwarfism lives his life like he's no different than any other dog

If you've ever met a Labrador retriever, you know what wonderful dogs they are. They're friendly, happy, and their "cup runneth over" with joy. And if you get anywhere near them, that joy will spill all over you, too. Such a dog is Barney. He is 100% Lab, even with a problem he doesn't know he has.

Barney was born with canine dwarfism. A condition called osteochondrodysplasia causes an abnormality in the growth and development of bone and cartilage. It nearly always affects the long bones of all four of a dog's legs. Barney has the condition, but if he suffers from it, he certainly doesn't let on.

Dave Sutton, a manager at Almost Home Dog Rescue in North Wales in late January recognized the short stature and unusual gait the moment he set eyes on him. Barney was just five years old when he was surrendered to the shelter. He hadn't done anything wrong; his owners' circumstances had changed and they were unable to keep him any longer. Based on his rotund body and love of people food, his past wasn't hard to figure out.

“One of Barney’s most endearing personality traits is that he simply does not know he is a dwarf,” Sutton said. “He lives life to the fullest.” Everyone who met him fell in love with him. That included Jane Hampton, a volunteer at the shelter, who didn't even wait to meet him before she fell in love. From the moment she first saw him, he was hers.

“Jane was, to say the least, besotted with Barney,” Sutton noted. “So after a thorough health check, Jane took Barney home.” He is now a "forever foster," which means that the rescue group will pay all his veterinary bills, but he'll never have to leave Jane's side. Jane does, however, want to change one thing about Barney.

Due to his size, veterinarians have determined that he is "morbidly obese," and unless he loses a significant amount of weight has only 18 to 24 months until his joints give out. His approximately 85 pounds will need to be reduced to 62. So Jane has put him on a strict diet, giving him only carrot sticks for treats. Lots of short walks (which he loves) ensure that he can exercise without undue stress on his compromised joints.

Barney's on board with the new plan, as long as he gets to be with Jane. His happy-go-lucky, can-do attitude means he will probably meet his goal and have many more years to enjoy life. “This boy's behavior is amazing,” Sutton commented. “He is one of the happiest dogs I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.”

According to Healthy Pets, Labradors are the most overfed breed of dogs, with nearly 60% being overweight. They may be genetically wired to always feel hungry, says Dr. Eleanor Raffan, a veterinarian and metabolic researcher at the University of Cambridge. But that doesn't mean you have to overfeed your lab! Share this story with your friends and take a look at your own dog. If he's overweight, it's fairly simple to reverse that with a strict diet and some regular exercise. And like a lot of us, maybe you can use that after-dinner jog, too!