Obie enjoys a sunbeam. Photo Nora Vanatta / Facebook

The average Dachshund has a maximum weight of 32 pounds; five-year-old Obie (who used to be called AJ; we assume the "Obie" nickname is short for "obese" – aw, poor guy) weighs more than twice that, topping out at 77 pounds when new owner Nora Vanatta met him last month. (That's seven times what a Miniature Dachshund would weigh.)

His previous owners, an older couple, had to give Obie up because of their own declining health, but thanks to what must have been expert begging by the dog, they'd managed to feed him almost to death in the meantime.

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Vanatta first heard about Obie because she follows Oregon Dachshund Rescue on Facebook, but when she read his weight, she assumed they'd gotten confused about the breed. Nope: he's a purebred. He's also really lucky; Vanatta already owns a couple

A misbehaving dog can be exhausting and frustrating. And since it always helps to understand why your dog may not be on his or her best behavior, we brought back board certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Rachel Malamed to give us some tips on what to do if your dog exhibits "problem behavior".

If you're interested in hearing more from Dr. Rachel, you can check out her website here.

By Liz Ozaist | vetstreet.com

9/11 Search-and Rescue Dogs

Photos: Meet 10 Search and Rescue Dogs From 9/11

Amid the many selfless heroes exists a group of often unsung and overlooked saviors - dogs. These four-footed troopers not only scoured the wreckage at Ground Zero alongside human handlers, but they also sprung into action as trained therapy animals and comforting companions in living rooms across the United States. Here's a look at some of the country's canine 9/11 heroes.

More than 300 canines descended on the rubble that was Ground Zero, searching for survivors and victims in the days following the tragedy. Some of the trained dogs belonged to volunteers, while others were part of professional teams. Regardless of their official capacity, the animals were inva

Pumpkin, wearing a pink sling on her injured paw, gets ready to attack a toy. Photo courtesy of Plattsburgh Press-Republican …

How did Pumpkin end up on this involuntary road trip? Pulsifer doesn't know how Pumpkin got into this predicament, but she does know where. "I saw her on my porch on a Friday evening after work," Pulsifer tells Yahoo! Shine Pets. The next day, a Saturday, Pulsifer was on the road for her friend Kellie Briquer's wedding, driving from Plattsburgh, NY to Elizabethtown, to Peru, and then back home. She had no idea she had a tiny feline baby on board until she stopped at a McDonald's drive-through for coffee, where she thought heard meowing. She then drove home and inspected the car for hidde

Blind, rescued Dachshund's artwork helps other rescue dogs

Artist Dee Dee Murry was saddened when her beloved pet lost her sight. Hallie, a rescued long-haired dachshund, has turned her challenges into an opportunity to help other rescued animals.

Ms. Murry, herself an artist, had already taught Hallie how to hold a brush in her mouth before Hallie lost her vision. The dog took to painting right away.

"Within a few days she was picking the brush up out of the paint cup, going over to the paper and making strokes and dabs," Ms. Murry wrote on her website. "She would never want to stop, if I set the brush down and told her how good she was and it was time to stop, she would quickly grab the brush back and start painting again."

Hallie's vision loss came on suddenly, Ms. Murry told ABC News affiliate KOMO.

"It came on really fast-overnight," Ms. Murry said. "It probably happened within 2 or 3 days. She was seeing fine and then suddenly she was walking into walls." Hallie was di