A unique bond: A brotherhood like no other

In 2010, I was 340lb, on 15 different medications,

Visal Description: Old pictures of Eric from before his weight loss journey begin to show on screen

because I was so heavy, I was so obese, I had a 52-inch waist. Going outside was just a constant sense of shame and humiliation. I would wake up and just think, "I've got to do this again." You know, I never really wanted to get up at all.

Screen Text: Eric, USA. Living with diabetes.

I got to the point that I'd stop leaving my apartment altogether. I'd stopped going outside, I didn't have any friends any more. I was too young to be that sick and unhealthy and too young to die. I just felt like I didn’t want to go on any more. I went to the doctor and the doctor told me that I had two choices of either getting bariatric surgery or he told me to go purchase a cemetery plot because I’d likely need one within the next five years.

Visual Description: Eric, running.

Before I knew it, we were walking distances of two or three miles. I was suddenly losing 5lb a week and then within ten months, I had lost about 150lb. We became bonded and experienced a bond of brotherhood unlike anything that I’d ever experienced with any person before. Peety was the first time that I’d ever had a dog.

Visual Description: Videos of Eric’s dog, Peety, begin to show on screen.

You miss me, boy? There you go! Hi, Peety. He looked at me like I was the greatest person who ever walked the earth. And the first walk, we weren’t able to get more than 100 yards. And then on the third night, he hopped up on my bed and he slept with me every night and we became absolute total best friends. Every time I felt depressed or down, he would come up to me and he would put his chin on my lap and he’d look up at me and that sense of comfort that he gave me made all the difference. After Peety and I had been together for five years,

Visual Description: Pictures of Eric’s dog, Peety, begin to show on screen.

his vet discovered a large, cancerous growth on his spleen. He looked at me and I could tell the life was just passing out of him. And I just sat there and I held him. But as time went by, I knew I needed to find another dog to love again. I knew that I wanted a dog that would want to do long-distance running,

Visual Description: Eric and his dog, Jake running together.

so when I went in and I saw Jake, I knew he was perfect. My energy is boundless, my mental clarity is extraordinary compared to what it used to be.

The difference is so night and day in every way. It's as if somebody flipped on a light switch and I used to be one person and now I’m a different person entirely. A dog is a magical creature.

Visual Description: Eric and his dog, Jake, exploring the outdoors.

Once a dog loves you and once you have a relationship with a dog, the dog cares more about you than he does about himself. And in doing that, they’ve been a great example on how I should be and act towards other people. He would just completely change my perspective from walking in the door, from one of sadness or depression to one of happiness and joy, because that’s what he reflected is happiness and joy all the time.

Screen Text: For human and animal health.

Screen Text: Boehringer Ingelheim. Value through Innovation.