Fat dog: Crime or nourishment?

	Stacy Innerst, Post-Gazette Click illustration for larger image.

Was Rusty, a Labrador retriever who lives in England, unpleasantly plump or the victim of cruelty? A magistrate in Cambridgeshire ruled last week that when you let your dog balloon to 162 pounds -- twice what he should have weighed -- it's cruelty, The Scotsman reported. Rusty never took the stand in the two-day trial, possibly because he was so immobile that a vet, even though he was on Rusty's side, said he resembled a walrus.

The court blamed the dog's owners, brothers Derek, 62, and David Benton, 53. They were fined $450 but did get back a slimmed down Rusty on the condition they provide proper care for at least three years. The Bentons said Rusty was overweight because his arthritis kept him from exercising. Indeed, the RSPCA, the animal welfare agency, said Rusty, age 11, could barely walk and collapsed if kept standing, when it intervened in March. But after it put him on a diet and exercise program and gave him $5,400 worth of painkilling drugs, Rusty lost 48 pounds. The agency was disappointed that Rusty was returned to his owners.

The aftermath

Timesonline.co.uk called the case unprecedented. Ann-Marie Gregory, the Bentons' attorney, was inundated with calls. "People up and down the country are worried to death because their cat or rabbit is a couple of pounds overweight," she said. The British Veterinary Association says 30 to 40 percent of pets are overweight -- their American counterparts are said to have an even bigger problem -- but added owners shouldn't fear prosecution if they follow their vets' advice.

The magistrate said the brothers had been warned several times to control Rusty's weight. David Benton, a crane driver, said he walked Rusty at least twice a day until about 18 months before the dog was seized last March. "I think his hips got so bad that he just gave up," he said. He accused the RSPCA of behaving like "the fat police."

"We have never been cruel to an animal in our life," he said. "What's going to happen next? Will you be in court if your child is too fat? We will make absolutely sure we look after Rusty properly and he will be seeing a vet as soon as we get him back."

The people speak

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From news.scotsman.com:

Canada: "Someone arrest my wife for letting me look like that dog, though it is better looking and has a shinier coat."

Great Yarmouth: "It's a pity the RSPCA can do it for dogs, but apparently no one cared about the 15-year-old on TV this week who weighed something like 420 pounds! His parents should have been taken to court for endangering his life!"

Voltaire: "Surely the dog has some responsibility. 11 is quite a mature age for a dog. Very easy to blame the owners."

McCrunchie: "Prosecute dog owners for fat mutts, and let pensioners die of malnourishment? Could the aforementioned criminals with a proclivity to feed dumb animals not have their natural instincts put to good use and be given community service in old folks wards?"

Javed, Edinburgh: "Dogs have a much better standard of living compared to some people in the U.K. Sometimes I really wish I was a dog."

Wisconsin, USA: "The saying 'Killing with kindness' is appropriate. A dog is better off when treated as a dog and not a member of the family. I don't condone fining people for a fat dog, but I feel that some intervention is appropriate."

Cape Town: "I used to be a staunch animal lover and defender until I visited Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Zambia and other countries in Africa. It was then I realized that every penny that is spent on dog food could be better used to feed those people! Let's put animal rights to the side and focus more on the human struggle!"

Fife: "I saw a cat up a tree the other day. Clearly, it had been let out without adequate supervision by the owner, and it could have fallen. Should I have called the RSPCA?"

Faye, Scotland: "The RSPCA is tasked with the job of animal welfare. It gets some publicity for an overweight dog. Then folks come out and squawk about the failure to tackle other problems, such as fat kids and old folks not properly cared for. Each organization has a responsibility within its own area. The RSPCA is doing just that."

BeeJay, Massachusetts: "That dog is better at picking a good lawyer than I am. I'll have to ask him for advice."

Tricia: "I can see all the lawyers lined up now to represent the pigs, cows, hamsters, etc."

Babba, Dundee: "I'm moving to the moon. Anybody coming?"

Robbie, NZ: "And miss reality shows? No way."

Jason, Japan: "This over-the-top political correctness is a reason why Britain is becoming an international laughing stock. Face it, some animals really like their chow. And Rusty must have been one greedy SOB . . . Oh God, I can't believe I said that. Does that come under the prevention of Terrorism Act?"

Conan: "Bloody disgrace the way those people treated that animal. Now, anyone for a rasher, banger, burger, steak, lamb, etc. My-oh-my, we are a confused bunch."