Killing with Kindness

Pet owner John Greene, 50, was charged by a British court who banned him from keeping animals for 10 years. Green was also ordered to pay nearly $1,300 and to perform 200 hours of unpaid work. This was after the authorities at RSPCA had discovered that his 8 year old Dalmatian, Barney, was severely overweight, and that Green did not exhibit any intention to remedy this pressing issue.
Pets Team 28 October 2010

Pet owner John Greene, 50, was charged by a British court who banned him from keeping animals for 10 years. Green was also ordered to pay nearly $1,300 and to perform 200 hours of unpaid work. This was after the authorities at RSPCA had discovered that his 8 year old Dalmatian, Barney, was severely overweight, and that Green did not exhibit any intention to remedy this pressing issue.

Barney at 69kg (credits to dailymail.co.uk)

Barney weighed 69kg (almost twice his ideal weight) and was still being fed fatty treats such as chocolate bars and potato chips by Green. Despite several warnings to stop overfeeding his dog, Green did not appear to take any action. It was then that the authorities decided to take serious action – they seized Barney from Green’s care and charged Green formally in court.

RSPCA inspector Rachel Green said “Prosecution was very much a last resort in this case. [But] we gave Mr Green strong advice to take Barney to the vets and have him put on a diet to ensure he maintained a healthy weight, but Barney's condition ultimately deteriorated. In the end we were faced with no choice but to remove Barney, for his own health and well-being.”

Barney was unable to walk; doing so for short periods of time made him wheeze and unable to breathe. Jumping or running was an impossibility. It appeared that Green treated Barney more like a friend than a pet. Along with regular bars of chocolate, Barney was also fed potato chips if Green was having some. When confronted, Green said he “thought the dog was a little overweight but did not know what weight he should be”.

A slimmer Barney at half his original weight
(credits to dailymail.co.uk)

Green, who is unemployed, admitted to being guilty of animal cruelty and has accepted his punishment by the courts. His solicitor John Temperley said, “The phrase “killing with kindness” comes to mind. He just overfed and overindulged his dog.”

Since being seized by the RSPCA, Barney was put on a diet and exercise regime and has lost half his weight and is now at a healthy 36kg. The RSPCA are looking for people to adopt him.

With Christmas just round the corner, it is important to remember not to overfeed our pets even though we want to pamper them. Those extra calories can be detrimental to our pets’ health and wellbeing.