Valley man to share weight-loss story on ‘Rachael Ray’

Eric O’Grey, the Spokane Valley man who lost 140 pounds with the help of a dog he adopted from a shelter, is slated to appear Tuesday on “The Rachael Ray Show.”

O’Grey joins Ray and and her co-host for the day, “Biggest Loser” trainer Bob Harper, to share the story of his weight-loss journey and talk about how Peety helped save his life.

O’Grey was 51 when he adopted the dog on the advice of his doctor. He weighed 320 pounds and spent about $1,000 per month on medication for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes. He was planning to undergo bariatric surgery to shrink his stomach.

By walking his dog daily and transitioning to a plant-based diet, O’Grey was able to drop down to 180 pounds. He’s kept the weight off since July 2011, when he started running as a way to maintain his goal weight.

O’Grey moved to Spokane Valley from Seattle in December, about 10 months after Peety died. In February, he appeared in a 6-minute movie produced by Mutual Rescue, an initiative of Humane Society Silicon Valley, where he had adopted his beloved dog. It went viral. A book publisher called. So did “The Rachael Ray Show.”

“Rachael is a huge animal lover herself, so she’s especially touched by Eric’s story,” publicist Paige Landsem said in an email Friday. “The entire hour on Tuesday is devoted to inspiring weight-loss stories; in addition to Eric, Bob reconnects with some of his former team members on ‘Biggest Loser.’ They love Eric’s dedication to his weight loss and to rescue pets, and to thank him for sharing his story, Rachael surprises him with a gift of a year’s worth of her Nutrish dog food.”

O’Grey flew to New York City in March with his current dog Jake to film the segment. It’s slated to air at 3 p.m. Tuesday on the ABC affiliate KXLY.