[Image: https://thecuriousbrain.com]
Every time I see one of those dogs on a treadmill video, I wonder if the dog is made to run/workout or if it is on the machine just for fun, imitating its owners… But then, few weeks back I saw an ad “Fitbit for dogs”.. I gasped for a second and gave it another glance to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating.. Yes, there it was, think it was on Instagram.. No wonder there are dog spas, dog runners [ gone are the days of dog walkers], fitness instructors and more for them fur babies…Oh and pet food supplements, pretty much same as what we have for humans..
There is a guy who walks a couple of dogs, past few days I noticed he walked one of them multiple times through the day. When I enquired, I was told the dog was 2kgs overweight and the owners had put him on a diet plus extra walks to lose the weight. Gulp…. Looks like Dogs too aren’t spared from Body shaming…
I don’t get it! Why is it that the world has an issue with anyone who does not fit into the box that some x, y or z have created? I have grown up shamed for the way I look by strangers, acquaintances and family, and developed a thick skin to a point where today I look them in the eye and tell em to bugger off. Similarly, I have low to no tolerance when I see someone else being subjected to the same kind of treatment. But when you start doing this to dogs, that is it.. I am done~ You are dead to me and I couldn’t care two hoots..
We have a character in our family, let us just call her U, she has zero compassion and is someone I LOATHE… Our paths have crossed way too many times, to a point where I avoid being anywhere around her… She has also body shamed me multiple times, pointing to my arms saying they look like pillars, and so on.. Anyways, so every time she comes home, my furball will strut upto her and whine, asking her to pet him [ I hate it when he does it, but well, cant help it…]. She, for her part will ignore him but make it a point to comment on his body- oh, he looks fat, dogs shouldn’t be fat, what are you feeding him? Pedigree or rice? Maybe you should put him on a diet? Does he go for walks, and does he run or is he inside the house all the time?
To a 3rd person, this will seem like someone asking out of concern, someone who has been around dogs and love them to bits.. but U is quite the opposite- no compassion, never had a dog nor does she care for them, actually she doesn’t care for anyone outside of her immediate family [which is herself & her son, not even the husband]
What irks me even more is that the others in the room who are around Floppy, and know/care about him almost as much as I do stay silent.. Sigh… I bite my lips and stay silent, not wanting to waste energy on her…
Floppy by no means is overweight, and body composition differs from one dog to another, same as it does for humans.. I will not tolerate anyone commenting on someone/dog’s body and making it seem like the people around don’t care or have let it happen with joy… Floppy has arthritis in his hind leg, and struggles to sit and get up.. It pains me to watch him struggle every time he wants to park his ass down or sleep.. Heck, he is 12 [in dog age] and poor boy is still as active as can be.. We love him to bits…
While I am all for being fit, and being healthy is necessary for an ailment free life, I am against shaming someone for the way they look.. Have you come across people who Pet shame? What do you do in such cases? Do share…
