PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) -
The fate of Obie the obese dachshund has been settled outside of a Washington County courtroom.
The dog will stay with foster parent Nora Vanatta, after she reached a settlement with Oregon Dachshund Rescue.
Other details will not be released, as part of the terms of the settlement, according to a post on the Facebook page Vanatta maintains for Obie.
Vanatta took Obie in last August, after seeing an ODR post seeking a foster home for the then-77 pound dog. The rescue group was seeking a home on behalf of his previous owners, an elderly couple.
Vanatta, a former vet technician, put the dog on a diet and began documenting his weight loss journey. Obie's story went viral, with FOX 12 and national media outlets airing reports. Thousands of dollars in donations poured in to a PayPal account for Obie.
"I did not know I was adopting a famous dog," Vanatta said.
In October, ODR sought custody of the dog, accusing Vanatta of not taking proper care of Obie and exploiting him for financial gain.
"It was just imperative that I fought for him. I think that when they brought the lawsuit against me, they really believed that I would just hand him over," Vanatta said.
While Obie still has a lot of weight to lose, he is making progress. He is now down to 49 pounds, 6 ounces. More than 80,000 people have been cheering on Obie at his Facebook page.
"He inspires people. It's crazy," Vanatta said. "He's like a magical dog."
Vanatta said she hopes Obie can soon get skin reduction surgery. For now, she said, Obie is "happy, he's doing well and it shows."
Copyright 2013 KPTV-KPDX Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved.
