i'm just wondering if you ever say anything when you see people who have overweight dogs.

rude? possible medical issue i don't know about so i should just keep my mouth shut? or maybe would saying, wow, possibly get people to get their dogs healthier?

or is this just one of those things you don't get into with strangers.

sorry, i just saw an ad on craigslist for a rott/GSD cross that is 5 years old, and they have to get rid of him b/c he's 'still growing'. yeesh.

not to mention, i've just spent the past while surrounded by active people (like multiple ironman finishers, or active outdoors people) with some seriously porky dogs. are ACD's supposed to have no hip tuck? i don't understand how people who are going to be aware of healthy lifestyles can let their dogs get like that.

i'm honestly at the point where the next person i see with a fat dog, i want to say something, but i don't want to end up being rude either. if i do actually say something, i'd like it to be constructive, but i can't think of a way to do that.

no wonder people always think luc is a puppy! (teagan's pretty well as thin, but for some reason, people don't stop to speculate on her )

Jennifer, as the owner of one perfect weight dog and one overweight dog, I don't know what to tell you. Harley does not have thyroid issues or anything else. The main problem is he is a beggar, and my husband is retired and at home with him all day. And hubby can't resist a beggar. Harley does not beg from me, he knows better. But I can't train him to not beg from hubby, and I can't train hubby to ignore Harley when he does beg. He gets fed less than 1/3 what my female minpin gets and she's perfect and he's a chunk. I don't want to not feed Harley at mealtimes because then all he would get is what Norman eats and that's not good, either. I've talked until I am blue in the face to my husband and absolutely have given up trying to get my husband to stop sharing everything he eats with Harley. I wish sincerely that I could take Harley to work with me, I guarantee he would lose weight. I am at my wit's end, honestly.
So...It wouldn't do a lot of good to say something to me about my dog being overweight, and it definitely wouldn't do any good
to say something to my husband about it, so better to let "sleeping dogs lie", I guess. I know about exercise and good nutrition, I just don't know what to do about a retired husband sharing all his sandwiches and such with a mooching dog all day. Thank goodness CeeCee is not a beggar and not food driven...

Edited by Janice Jarman (09/29/2008 03:22 PM)
Edit reason: added some stuff

I don't say anything. It's like asking a woman if she's pregnant, it's gonna cause a few hard feelings.

and it's true that i am the only one who feeds my dogs (other than when i'm away), so i have the luxury of total control. i hadn't thought of that janice.

steve, you're probably right.

it's just that in the last 3 weeks i've been at one large triathlon (70.3 ironman-branded) and away at a wilderness lodge with hikers and kayakers, and ALL the dogs i saw were overweight. and not just a bit of chub, but overweight. i guess i'm so used to hearing triathletes obsess about their weight (the lighter you are, the faster you are) that it just turned into this giant disconnect for me.

but yeah, i've never turned to an obese person and said 'you know you'd be healthier if....', so i suppose i should apply the same rule with respect to dogs.

 Quote: jennifer mullen

i'm just wondering if you ever say anything when you see people who have overweight dogs.

I do.

If it's not a friend, it might be "Your dog will look and be so healthy when he gets a couple of pounds off!" in an upbeat and admiring way.

If it's someone I know well, it might be "WTF are you doing to your dog?!"

You've got me re-thinking my position Connie. What do you think of "Nice dog! Whats the due date?"

 Quote: steve strom

You've got me re-thinking my position Connie. What do you think of "Nice dog! Whats the due date?"

I usually will say something like "He's/She's a BIG boy/girl". Always said with a smile and in a nice tone of voice.

Leaves the door open to a conversation without putting the owner on the defensive.

Now I get it, it's all in the delivery. If I smile and say " oh my goodness, hide the milkbones" It's not as confrontational as " holy ****, hide the milkbones" while laughing out loud.

I see so many fat dogs at my work. Obviously I'm not gonna comment on it while in uniform because it's something I get pretty worked up about and it's not worth getting in trouble over. People have the dumbest excuses. Who is in control here, the human or the dog?

me too, we can't say that at work, unless the person directly asks us if they should go to a "weight control" food. i just recommend cutting back on the regular food first.

"oh, but she begs..."
i am thinking, "so what. let her beg. don't give it to her, genius"

ugh. i hate seeing fat dogs more than anything else...