TWINSBURG, Ohio – When 65-year-old businessman Ted Moore decided in December that he needed a personal fitness trainer, he went to a seemingly unlikely place – the Humane Society of Summit County – to find one.

Moore teamed up with Blue, a 4-year-old Great Dane and pit bull terrier mix, who also needed to shed some weight and who welcomed the companionship after his owner surrendered him to the Twinsburg shelter nearly a year ago.

And after seven months of hiking and dieting, Blue has dropped 17.5 pounds, putting him two pounds away from his goal, and Moore has lost 25 pounds, about halfway to his goal weight.

“I’ve had a lifelong weight problem and we’re close to putting that in the rearview mirror,” Moore told cleveland.com. The Stow man has volunteered at the Humane Society of Summit County for 13 years and has adopted five dogs from the shelter.

When Blue arrived at the Humane Society, he weighed more than 100 pounds – nearly 20 pounds beyond a healthy weight, according to the shelter.

Coincidentally, both Blue and Moore were recommended by their veterinarian and physician, respectively, to lose about 18 percent of their body weight through diet and exercise.

To keep himself accountable to his own goals, and to help get Blue adopted, Moore decided to embark on a fitness journey with the dog. He started a wellness blog on the Humane Society’s website called “Pound of Cure” that chronicles their adventures in exercise and their healthy eating habits.

~Pound of Cure with Ted & Blue~ A shelter-based wellness journey NEW BLOG UPDATE - Back on the... Posted by Humane Society of Summit County on Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Gone are the days when Blue would get high-calorie dog biscuits and rubber toys filled with peanut butter. Now the pup enjoys beef broth-soaked, dehydrated green beans as treats.

Every Sunday morning, Moore and Blue venture to parks and trails throughout Summit County and share their experiences on the blog.

“Liberty Park [in Twinsburg] in northern Summit County has a great set of ledges,” Moore said when asked about Blue’s favorite hiking spots. “Anything near the water really gets Blue’s attention.”

~Pound of Cure with Ted & Blue~ A shelter-based wellness journey NEW BLOG UPDATE - Hitting the Buckeye... Posted by Humane Society of Summit County on Wednesday, May 15, 2019

On another hike through an area of the Buckeye Trail, Blue spotted a stream and veered Moore off the trail to go explore. “He just loves the water,” Moore said.

The “Pound of Cure” partnership has been successful for both Moore and Blue. Moore has trimmed up and increased his stamina, and Blue has only a couple pounds to go before he reaches his goal weight of 85 pounds, the shelter said.

“The physical change is obvious,” Moore said. “When you take a dog from 105 pounds down to 85 – that’s a huge weight loss in a human. For a dog, that’s life-altering.”

~Pound of Cure with Ted & Blue~ A shelter-based wellness journey NEW BLOG UPDATE - Amazing Blue - The... Posted by Humane Society of Summit County on Wednesday, June 5, 2019

What’s not so apparent are the changes to Blue’s personality.

“When Blue first came into the shelter about 200 days ago, he was dangerously obese. He was lethargic,” Moore said. “Blue was never aggressive, but he was suspicious.”

But now Blue has gotten out into the world and learned to be friendly with scores of people, dogs and even horses on his adventures with Moore.

When the pair first started going on hikes, Blue would resist getting in the car. Now, he bounds out of his kennel when he sees Moore approach with a leash.

“He’s helped me, I’ve helped him,” Moore said. “I think he’s helped me more, but don’t tell him that.”

Moore is so fit he is now training to hike the Appalachian Trail in 2021.

In addition to their hikes and diet changes, Moore attributes Blue’s success to weekly dog play sessions, field trips and walks by other Humane Society volunteers.

The duo’s next goal is to walk the length of the Buckeye Trail – which is marked by “Blue” blazes – over the course of this summer and fall. The trail runs about 60 miles throughout Summit County.

The “Pound of Cure” blog is holding an online donation campaign to raise $5,000 for the Humane Society of Summit County, but what Moore wants most of all is to hand the leash over to Blue’s forever family.

“He’s been in the shelter for 200 days and based on his personality, there isn’t any good reason for that,” Moore said. “He’s just a big dog and he doesn’t look like your typical Golden Retriever so it makes it hard for people to give him a chance.”

Potential adopters can come visit Blue at the shelter. He would do best in a home with no young children, and he shows potential to live with another dog, the shelter said.

Moore advises that he may take a few minutes to warm up to you.

“These dogs are in a kennel, it’s loud, so maybe don’t judge a dog based on when you first meet them,” Moore said of all the animals at the Humane Society, most of which have been abused, abandoned or neglected.

“Hopefully that person [who adopts Blue] will be a hiker and pick up where I left off,” Moore said.

Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.com’s Rubber City Daily, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.