Bittersweet Reunion: Do Not Do This To Your Dog!

Last Friday was a nasty day. It was raining, and the rain turned most of the outdoors into a skating ring.

There is a set of trails where we don't go much any more, as the city decided to develop it into a natural area by turning all the foot paths into paved roads and generally improving it..

This time, however, we figured that it might be the safest place to go for a walk in order to avoid the slippery danger. It wasn't really great, but we were able to make our way through relatively safely.

We got excited when on our way out we met one of Jasmine's old friends, let's call him Cherry, the Australian Shepherd. 

Cherry belongs to a nice old couple.

It's been probably at least a year since we saw him last.

He is a good natured dog and Jasmine liked him from the first time they met. We still had our old rescue Bruin then. Cherry was very happy and friendly, with amazing social skills. He would wrestle with Bruin and play chase with Jasmine, having a great feel for how each of them liked to play.

They all had a marvelous time, in spite the fact that the old lady didn't really like the idea of her baby playing with Rottweilers.

We met them few more times and then we haven't seen Cherry for a while, until he showed up with a guy who we always used to meet walking through the woods alone. We kept telling him that he should get a dog, because it was such a shame that no dog could benefit from his daily long walks.

And now there he was, with Cherry. 

It turned out that the guy is the old couple's son and started taking Cherry along, because Cherry wasn't getting enough exercise and started gaining some weight.

Still happy and playful, even though somewhat overweight, he would now wrestle with J.D. and still play chase with Jasmine, as in the good old days.

We saw them few times through Jasmine's post-op, Cherry was getting visibly heavier.

"All my parents do," the guy said, "is feeding him something all day long, and I can't get them to slow down with that. He doesn't even want to go on walks any more, he'd rather just lay around and eat. I have to make him to come with me."

Cherry would still play a bit then, but with much less enthusiasm and only in short bursts.

And then we didn't see him until last Friday.

Picture from DiscoveryNews

Already from the distance Cherry looked like he'd rather be anywhere else but there. Moving slowly, uninterested in all the yellow snow, looking to the guy to see if it would be ok for him to just lay down and wait until the guy is done his silly walking business.

He paid little attention to our guys and as we stopped for a conversation he just laid down.

Jasmine was happy to see her old buddy and was trying to get him to play. Bouncing around, doing play-bows, to no avail.

Cherry didn't want to play. He didn't want to walk either. He wanted to go home.

Cherry is now severely overweight. He is as big now as both of our guys put together!

He is about the same age as Jasmine, but there is no life in him!

While Jasmine, after all she's been through, was bouncing around and acting like a puppy, Cherry just sat there. All he wanted was to go home and lay down by a fireplace.

It was a very bittersweet reunion. 

It was nice to reflect on how far Jasmine has come and how well she is doing now. But it was heartbreaking to see how Cherry's owners, with the best intentions, I'm sure, just fed the life right out of him.

But they won't listen to anybody. They think that their dog is happy!

Please, do not do this to your dog!


It's your dog's health (and happiness)!
Jana

Further reading:
Pet Obesity: Overweight Dogs and Cats
Is My Pet Overweight?
Why is Being Overweight Dangerous for Dogs and Cats?
Our Portly Pets: Obesity Epidemic Reaches Pets
Why is it hard to talk about fat pets?

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