Do you think Bodel should be taken from her owners?

Question

Bodel is a 92kg Rottweiler who looks more like a sea-lion. She’s fed sixteen pounds of fresh meat a week and turns heads when she’s out on the town. In her owner’s words ‘Whatever Bodel wants Bodel gets!’

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fallonbrooke/2790488084/

http://style.sky.com/Sky_Real_Lives/Coming_Soon/Fat_Pets/992/

Do you think Bodel should be taken from her owners if they refuse to stop giving Bodel whatever she wants?

Answer 1

Does Bodel want a heart attack?

I think not, so I think somebody needs to intervene!

Answer 2

It's pathetic, misguided and ridiculous.  Poor Bodel, she waddles like a walrus. Her owner sounded really nutty talking about thinking of the poor thing like her daughter.  

Answer 3

no, at least if she's fat kids can out run her when she tries to eat them.

Answer 4

Yes!!  Don't they realize that they are killing their dog with kindness?  So, so sad and very stupid owners.

Answer 5

i think the owners should be educated that they are killing their dog and if that dosent work then possibly call the humane society thats a horrible thing to do to a pat its like a 50lb 9month old it just shouldnt be ... so sad

Answer 6

It's like a real-life clifford the big red dog. I think it should be taken away seeing as their only incentive to keep their dog alive is a warning from the vet.

Answer 7

Do you think these kids should be taken from their homes and families?

http://www.randomfatkids.com/

Who is going to love and care for Bodel? Is it fair to her to take her from the ones she loves? Someone should step in and teach them, gently, how to help Bodel become healthy and vigourous!

Answer 8

The owners spoil the dog. Bodel can get really unhealthy if the owner continues this. Please inform the owners of heart failure, or diabetes.

Answer 9

They are killing it with kindness. It`s cruel. My dog gets most of what she wants and she`s fine. (pic on 360)

They should be more responsible, put the dog on a diet or have the dog taken away.

Answer 10

Yes the owner might think she or he is helping there dog but instead hurting it.Its abuse even though they might think differently.They are sentencing him to death.Bodel should have a nice long healthy life not an excuse for one!

Answer 11

Depends. If she's otherwise healthy with exception of being big then its not animal abuse.

Secondly if she'd fed evenly per meal and every day she's only getting 2.28 lbs of meat per day 1.14 per meal.

How do you know there isn't something else causing the dog to be fat?

ADD - if she were eating 2.5% of her current weight to maintain it she would need 2.3 kgs a day (5lbs) to maintain her weight.

2% since she is fat would be 4lbs a day. At 16lbs a week she getting only 2.3lbs of meat a day. its not her diet that's making her fat

Answer 12

yes, she should be taken away, the poor dog, all that weight must be affecting her heart and breathing and i bet excercise is hard for her.

Surely the owner must know shes killing the  poor mite. probably likes the attention that comes with having an infamous dog now

Answer 13

Wow.

Yes of course she should. She might think she's helping her but she's going to end up killing her dog, just as underfeeding is abuse so should overfeeding be.

EDIT:

Surely the lack of exercise would contribute though? Weighing that much she wouldn't be able to even walk very much never mind go on long walks or for a run around.

Wouldn't the same apply to humans? I don't suppose grossly overweight humans eat massive amounts to maintain the weight, they just can't move to get the weight off. The dog is being fed just meat - lots of saturated fat.

Answer 14

The owners of that dog are sick, it is abuse how much they are feeding their dog.  Who would want to keep feeding a dog thats so overweight.  That dog should be sent to a fat camp and the owners should be banned from keeping dogs.  That dog is going to have serious health issues - can't be much fun for him either being that obese.  

Answer 15

I saw the story of Bodel on a documentary several months ago,and they had put her on a diet.She had lost some weight,but was still quite heavy.So,this must be an old story,as the Cavalier mentioned in the story was on the show,too,as well as another dog,a beagle.The beagle gained weight!! But to answer your question,I don't think that obese animals should be seized unless their weight affects their ability to walk or breathe,but the owners should be warned and the animal monitored to make sure it is losing weight. If they refuse to comply,then,yes,the animal should be seized and kept until it has lost weight.The owners should then be given a second chance with the dog,and if the weight comes back,then seize the dog and re-home it. Of course,if the weight is caused by a medical problem,that is a different story altogether.

Edit: My mistake.Bodel was still fat;it was another Rott on the program that had lost weight.

http://www.cooldoghalloffame.com/dogs/fa...

Answer 16

Jeez...are people so ignorant that they do not realize how unhealthy that dog is????

Take him and give him what he really wants...a pack leader who will not cause him to die an early death from obesity!!

Answer 17

it really animal abuse and i think you should tell a vet control to warn them...this thing is gross....

Answer 18

She's a porker, for sure.

Answer 19

Of course!  It's animal abuse.

Answer 20

It seems as though the owners love their dog, but are confused about how to show that love.

They need education. First and foremost.

If however, they don't take that education on board, then it would probably be kinder that the dog is found a new home.

Answer 21

When you think of animal abuse, you usually think of those poor skin and bones dogs left out in some yard all alone. But this is different.

Yes it might be very unhealthy and lead to serious health problems, but its not abuse or neglect. Its ignorance and if we could charge people for being uninformed or stupid, there would be a lot of people in trouble.

The best thing they can do I guess now is to take to it the vet regularly to make sure its heart is still working properly or perhaps feed her lean meats instead of fatty ones? Maybe some vitamins to balance out the diet?

I don't think this dog will ever get down to regular size, but if they are taking care of it, there is nothing you can do really.  

Answer 22

They might think they love her but that i so cruel, god knows how she is still alive at that size. She will suffer if she survives when she is older.

Definitely taken away if they do not do anything about the state of this poor dog.

Answer 23

Heck yeah. They are abusing that poor dog. Actually killing him slowly. Put about 100 extra pound weights on them and make them carry it with them all day everyday and see how they feel. Giving a pet whatever they want isn't showing love not like that.

Answer 24

Holy c**p!!

I think even if they stopped giving Bodel whatever she wants...now is a bit too late for anything to really change. Something should have been done before. You may as well let her owners keep their sea-lion of a dog now.  

Answer 25

Well...  The dog is obviously morbidly obese, and the owners are obviously creating the situation, but it's a sticky subject.  The dog is not neglected or abused in the traditional sense of the words, but the owner should know better than to feed the poor dog so much food.  I feel bad for the dog, but the side of me that is for personal rights and freedom rejects the idea of taking the dog from its owners.

If you took that dog from its owners, what would be next?  Jailing people who buy potato chips for fat people?

Answer 26

It is going to be very hard to convince any authorities to take Bodel away from the owners. A written statement from a veterinarian who has proof of examining the dog may be the only way.

If Bodel keeps eating the way she is, she will not live very long at all. If a veterinarian states that the dog is being abused or the owners are performing cruelty to the animal, then the authorities will step in. It's a matter of getting Bodel to a vet. Even at that, if you're not the owner, there's still nothing much that can be done.

I'm sorry you're having to witness that.