How Fit are Your Pets?

I think it is horrible that a dog would be severely overweight. But I would also hate for an owner that is trying to address it to be sued. My dog has a problem with overeating. She is constantly trying to eat my other dog's food. And I can't starve him because she wants to eat his food. So, I do my best to try to stop her from eating his food. Some people do not know how much to feed a dog and think that if the dog is hungry, they should feed it because it is not as if they talk and tell us that they are hungry. So often, some owners will just leave the food out. I think it would be better to educate the owners on how to properly care for the animal rather than fine them. It could first be a warning and then after they have been educated, I can see fining them. But at least they are offering knowledge first.

Blimey I know .. I saw the cameras when they were going to court .. I was just going to do some shopping and got held up ny the press pack .. the poor dog was TWICE the size it should have been ... a nice chocolate labrador that weighed 11.5 stones .. (161 pounds), that is a lot of dog .. I had my cats for 20 wonderful years, until the very last few months of their lives they were extremely fit and healthy .. I lavished care and attention on them, they were 'family' but I also respected that they were animals and their feline dietary requirements were met first .. treats came second .. As they got older I took them more and more regularly to the vets for proper check ups .. starting with 6 monthly check ups at 10 years old .. and finally in their last year they had monthly checks .. although I was obviously aware they were long past the normal life span for cats, taking them for regular check ups gave me peace of mind that they were still enjoying a good quality of life .. in fact my female cat at nineteen and a half years old was still catching mice to bring to me .. a nice present for 'mum' ... and still very much alive and unscathed other than a bit of a scare !!

I believe that the prosecution was justified- failing to cure the dogs obesity is blatant negligence, it's not as if gradually feeding it less or actually bothering to take it outside is hard to do.