Hi, I’m Savanna! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my spunky Chihuahua mix, Penny.
I get some comments from friends and family about how “fat” Penny is. Okay, I’ll admit, she may be a little overweight for her small frame. But I’m going to get a little defensive here. She weighs 12 pounds, and I think with her being primarily a Chihuahua, people think she should be smaller and only weigh about 7 pounds maximum. But she’s also part Miniature Poodle and Pekingese according to her DNA test, and these are both breeds that can weigh 14–15 pounds on average. Her vet says she’s healthy, and she’s been about 12 pounds for a couple of years now, so it’s not like she’s continuing to gain weight.
You may have heard the saying, “I’m not fat, I’m fluffy.” I have to say for Penny, that saying is true. I think part of what makes her look so fat is her thick hair. And I can prove it: all I have to do is give her a bath. Join me as we look at Penny’s magical weight loss transformation every time she gets a bath.
Penny’s Not Fat, and I Can Prove It!
Bath time is definitely not on the list of Penny’s favorite activities, but all that fluff and rolling around in dead worms makes her quite stinky. So she gets regular baths every 4–6 weeks. We have to chase her a bit to get her into the bath, but once she’s in there, she stands still and allows us to do our thing (while still looking a little wary in the process).
When she gets soaking wet from the sprayer, she turns from an overweight ball of fluff to a slick, streamlined weasel-looking creature. All that water pushes her hair closer to the skin and makes her look more her true size when not hidden by all that fluff. It’s very trimming for her figure. Who knew that adding water weight could actually make you slimmer?
I told y’all she isn’t as fat as she looks! It’s mostly just fluff.
Bringing the Fluff Back
The bath isn’t just to get her clean. It’s also to restore her fluffiness. So it turns out that Penny’s weight loss transformation is only temporary. Immediately after a bath when she’s been towel dried and does that cute little shimmy and shake, she actually looks bigger than she did before because all that fluff is enhanced.
You can definitely start to see the Pekingese in her when she’s fresh off a bath in all her fluffy glory. She looks like a little poof ball, and pictures just do not do it justice of how poofy she actually is!
She’s Not Fat, She’s Fluffy
Despite looking a bit chunky, Penny gets around just fine, she gets plenty of exercise, and she eats the right food portions. Every 4–6 weeks, she undergoes a temporary weight loss transformation, so you can see that she’s not as fat as she looks. It’s my job to keep her happy and healthy, so until Penny’s vet tells me she’s overweight and unhealthy and we need to make some changes, I’ll further emphasize that she’s not fat, she’s just fluffy! That’s a hill I’m willing to die on.
This article is a part of Savanna and Penny’s series.