Obie, a pot-bellied pooch tipping the scales at a whopping 35 kg, is being placed on a strict diet after his new owner vowed to get the five-year-old dachshund into shape.

At its current weight, Obie is already twice the size of a regular full-grown wiener dog and isn't yet fit enough to begin walking on a treadmill. The dog has earned the unflattering title of "world's fattest dachshund" by British newspaper The Daily Mail.

Nora Vanatta, a Portland, Ore., resident and certified veterinary technician, took Obie from his original owners — an elderly couple who Vanatta said were "simply loving him with food." Vanatta is introducing a new low-fat, high-protein diet and tracking Obie's progress on a Facebook page.