Dog Daily News

Barney, before and after. Even his spots have shrunk. But did he really need to be wrenched from his person to get a svelte profile?

It was with sadness that we learned of yet another British dog being torn out of the loving arms of a person who had inadvertently made him obese.

According to a BBC report, John Green testified that “he treated Barney as more of a friend than a dog and that he did not set out to deliberately harm the dog.”

As a friend, John shared his chips and chocolate and other treats with Barney. Barney ballooned up to 154 pounds — twice the recommended size for a Dalmatian. We don’t think this is a good thing at all, but we wouldn’t do what the courts did: Not only did they take Barney away from John and put him in the care of a kennel that put him on a strict diet and exercise program; they also banned John from having any dogs for the next 10 years. That seems over the top.

Barney is not the only British dog taken away from his person because of obesity. We recently reported on Fat Bob, a Scottish dog who was far too paunchy for his own good. His person doted on him too much, giving him fish & chips, and lots of tins of dog food. He, too, was taken away from his person, sent to a Fido Fat Farm, and given to a new family.

"Where's my mama? Why are you taking me away?" may be among the frightened cries of the next species of animals who are dragged from their parents for being too portly

Dog Magazine whines that Britain is weighed down by a growing number of obese pets: “As a society it’s time to give a name to the fat dog epidemic sweeping the country.”  OK, maybe Paunchy Pooch syndrome? Corpulent Canine disorder? No, the magazine calls it animal cruelty. And lately, British courts do, too. There’s got to be a better way to trim down dogs and not break their hearts or those of their people.

What’s next – taking fat kids away from their parents?