Watch: Hawaii fitness instructor helps her 15-year-old golden retriever regain mobility with special exercises in viral video

A dog owner from Hawaii has hogged the social media limelight after she went viral for her unique style of helping her 15-year-old golden retriever overcome his loss of mobility. According to her, her Pilates background has helped her a great deal.

Instagram influencer Jillian Loustaunau grabbed eyeballs in September 2026 when she shared a video of her dog "Weasel," who is “almost 16," showing the beginning of a several-month rehab journey that began after he lost his mobility in May 2026.

“What a transformation,” Loustaunau wrote on Instagram. “At almost 16, Weasel is the Pawlates King.” In the video, which has garnered over 1.8 million views, Weasel can be seen doing a variety of exercises. These exercises include climbing onto a reformer Pilates machine for stability workouts.


“Back in May, Weasel started to rapidly lose his mobility, especially in his hind legs,” Loustaunau, who owns Movmint Pilates in Kailua, O’ahu, said. “I took him to a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) who specializes in acupuncture and PT and noticed a lot of similarities with his rehab exercises and the movement I teach to humans every day.”

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A post shared by Jillian & Weasel the Pilates Dog (@paw.lates)

The journey, which started in May, has now reached September, and Loustaunau is making full use of her fitness and Pilates knowledge with special reformer Pilates machines and other fitness equipment to help Weasel build strength.

“I brought him to my studios and started him on the reformer, then the Cadillac, Chair, CoreAlign, and ladder barrel, and the rest is history!” she wrote on Instagram. “I’m still in awe of how much he enjoys using these machines and how much they are actually helping him.”

According to Loustaunau, with daily exercise, Weasel has made decent progress and now has been able to regain nearly all of his functionality. He is “making more and more progress each week.”

“Best of all, he has his personality back,” she shared in another Instagram video detailing their journey. “Going from such an active pup to barely being able to move was so hard on him. I am so grateful to have the resources and knowledge to give him his best quality of life.”

Helping her golden retriever regain mobility apparently inspired Loustaunau to launch official “Pawlates 101” classes to bring the same positive change in the lives of other aging pets and their owners.

“I am fortunate to be able to dedicate time each day to helping Weasel heal and have created a virtual class to help other dog parents facing similar issues,” the caption of her Instagram post read. “Pawlates 101 covers simple moves you can do at home to make a big difference in your pup’s wellbeing.”