Yeah, Stu, he really is a fat bastard.

I adopted him full grown from a rescue group about seven years ago. He is large for his breed in terms of height and skeletal size. He was WAY obese when I got him, about 130 lbs. I took him to the vet for shots and a check up, and she sold me some special dog food to try and get his weight down. She also figured he had some thyroid issues contributing to the fact that Elkhounds tend to pack on weight if they don't get enough exercise.

Anyway, I could never get him much below 100 lbs no matter what I did. The vet said she thought 75-80 lbs would be ok.. He will eat any damn thing. Seriously! He is a good hunter! He would sit deadly still by the chain link fence I had around the yard when I lived in town. He would wait for squirrels to run across the top of the fence and when they were close to him, he'd hit the fence suddenly and nock em' off. 50% of the time they would land on his side and become lunch. Since we've moved out to the country, he gets a rabbit occasionally, he gets gophers frequently, a snake once and a while, a lizzard one time, and one bad dining experience with a toad. He avoids toads now..

What I appreciate about him (and Elkhounds in general) is that they can exercise discretion. He is never agressive with children, even if he does not know them. He understands that small humans are #1 on the do not eat list. He seems to understand the chickens are not to be eaten and it is his job to prevent coyotes, foxes, and other dogs from doing so.

He is a good dog all the way around.. Loyal and noble friend, protecter of my home, defender of my family....