Dieting dachshund in Ohio goes from obese to svelte.

Byline: MITCH STACY

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Once a wanton wiener dog, Dennis went on a diet and is now a happy shadow of his former self after losing more than 75 percent of his body weight.

Less than two years ago, Dennis weighed in at a whopping 56 pounds -- about the size of four or five miniature dachshunds, which is what he is. A series of ''before'' photos show Dennis resting on rolls of fat, his head seemingly too little for his blob of a body. He couldn't take more than a few steps without being out of breath.

Then Brooke Burton adopted him from a relative who had fed him White Castle burgers, pizza and other human food, and didn't pay much attention to the dog's burgeoning belly.

Burton, a 26-year-old nursing student, recalls how emotional she became when she first saw Dennis in June 2013, and then persuaded her relative to give him up.

''Out comes Dennis, and I couldn't believe it,'' Burton says. ''I wasn't even sure what breed of dog he was supposed to be because he was so large.''

Burton put him on diet of dry dog food, plus lots of walks and affection. Now the 6-year-old wiener dog is a svelte 12 pounds and happily chasing squirrels in the backyard, playing fetch and...