Pudgy pooch lumbers homeThere's an idiot in here somewhere, I just can't decide who. Too many targets...
LONDON — Two brothers were convicted Friday of causing unnecessary suffering by letting their dog become obese, prompting fears among pet owners that they could be prosecuted if they let their animals put on too much weight.
In an unprecedented case, David and Derek Benton were prosecuted by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals because Rusty, their pet Labrador retriever, tipped the scales at 70 kilograms, more than double the weight he should have been. They denied causing unnecessary suffering to the 10-year-old dog but were found guilty by magistrates in Ely, Cambridgeshire, eastern England.
David Benton, 52, a crane driver, and Derek, 63, a saddler, were given a conditional discharge for three years and ordered to pay about $500 each. No order was made for the seizure of the Labrador or any disqualification preventing them from keeping animals, so Rusty will be returned to them. The prosecution incurred legal costs of nearly $24,000.
Because the taxpayers money is ALWAYS well spent if there is a fat dog involved.
After the case, the British Veterinary Association said that 30 to 40 per cent of pets were overweight but that owners should not fear prosecution if they followed vetsÂ’ advice. But David Benton said: "WhatÂ’s going to happen next? Will you be in court if your child is too fat? The dog has arthritis. What do they expect? It does feel like weÂ’ve been chased by the fat police. I think a lot of people will be worried.
"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 court was told that Rusty had suffered hip dysplasia from the age of 18 months, which left him arthritic, unable to exercise properly and prone to weight gain. The brothers said that they had tried to make him lose weight but were unable to get him to stick to a diet at their home in Fordham, near Soham, Cambridgeshire.
The court was told that Rusty had lost about 19 kilograms since March after being put on a low-calorie diet by RSPCA workers and given painkilling drugs costing almost $6,000.
Bryant Watson, the magistrate, said that the brothers had been advised several times to control RustyÂ’s weight.
David Benton said that he used to walk Rusty twice a day during the week and three times a day on weekends until about 18 months before he was seized. He added: "He was getting slower as he got bigger. I think his hips got so bad that he just gave up. It got to the point where he didnÂ’t want to go out anymore."
RSPCA chief inspector Mark Thompson insisted that the charity had been right to bring the prosecution. "I am disappointed that the magistrates did not grant a seizure order," he said. "We will be closely monitoring Rusty in the future and if the Benton brothers do not look after him properly in the future, they will be brought back to court."
Records revealed that the brothers were advised repeatedly by vets to put Rusty on a diet and that his weight had increased by 23 kilograms — about 50 per cent — in less than three years.
Alex Wylie, the vet who treated Rusty when he was brought in by the RSPCA barely able to stand, said, "The one thing we didnÂ’t want was for Rusty to be allowed back to the Bentons. We are devastated."
Mark Johnston, a vet and spokesman for the BVAÂ’s small animals association, said, "The most important thing in a LabradorÂ’s life is food, followed by food, followed by food.
"Overfeeding is a crime just as much as if you were neglecting the dog by not feeding it."
Labradors are notoriously difficult to keep trim. They like their food. The ideal weight for a two-year-old adult Labrador should be 35 kilograms. If the dog puts on even two kilograms a year, he is being overfed.
That is the biggest bullsh*t statement I have ever heard. Labs are high energy dogs who like to run after stuff. We never had a problem keeping ours in fighting trim. Just throw a stick across the yard and yell 'BACK!' Repeat ad nauseum. Result: 1 very well exercised dog.