grrr!

[Stacey]

I am so tired of people telling me that I need to feed my dog!  I get so irritated with hearing how skinny he is or people wondering if he is supposed to be that thin.  I have had the cops come to my house twice in the last year, once about my skinny pit bull and another just random complaint about my neglected dog!  Last time Tonka was weighed he was just at 140 lbs!  What do people expect?  He looks healthy to me, yes he is slender.....ug h!  Sorry for the rant, it is so irritating!

[Gevaudan_Jo]

Well, he sure looks beautiful to me!!! lol. i really dont see how people think hes under weight. 140 is a really nice size... but, here i am fattining (? is that a word) up my dog when he was 160... he is prolly around 175 now OOPS hahaha
anyways, dont worry about those stupid people. Tonka is a gorgeous "pitbull" LMAO!

[annaaul]

People just aren't educated about the breed, I guess it's better that theyre concerned rather than turn their head.

[Blair]

I understand what you are going through COMPLETELY!!!!!! Its got to the point where I hate taking Grey out in public. People come up to me telling me how skinny he is, like I dont know! Its extremely frustrating!! I too had the city called on me, so also know what you mean there too. Just recently we took Grey to the park and a teenager commented on how skinny Grey was and how small he was and that his dane is 2 times bigger then him Well that boy made those comments at the wrong time and I totally went off on him! Some people just think they know everything when actually they dont know anything. Its funny though cause when I see people that actual bred danes or show them they always tell me Grey looks good for his age! I have explained to people till I was blue in the face but I am at the point where I just walk away from them. I am tempted to get a copy of all his vet records and shove it in people faces when they tell me he is too thin, or maybe even mail to certain noisey people  Vent all you want cause I know how frustrating it is!

[Stacey]

Blair!  I know what you mean!  I am almost scared to take him in public because I hear it so much!  Even my parents are always telling me I need to feed him more.  When we moved into our new house my mom said "I am glad you have a tall fence so people can't see how skinny tonka is and report you"!  I have thought the same thing about the vet records!  When the base police came to my house last year for the second time about Tonka and asked to see him, I said NO!  that if they wanted to send someone qualified to analyze him (ie animal control) or have me take him to a vet to be examined I would be willing, but 2 20 year old SPs were in no position to decide the health of my dog.

It makes me want to scream!

[Blair]

My mother is the same way!!!! I love her but she is use to Chihuahuas and well Grey cant be compared to one!I just really makes me made. And when the city was called on me my city sent the water meter guy!!! How crazy is that. I had to make him look at the dogs and dog food if I wouldnt he would of just stood in my front yard twiddling his thumbs ::)I personally think Grey looks good, yeah he could afford to gain some but you can tell he isnt starve, I mean he has muscle tone and a lot of it! Sorry to pretty much take over your post LOL But if you ever want to vent about this PM me and we can vent together LOL From pics I have seen of Tonka he looks good, but I sure would love to see new pictures of him 

[specialkdanemom]

I just needed to reply.  Don't mean to take over your rant!!

I've never been approached by animal control or anything, but Appollos (RIP 12/15/05 ) was our first purebred GD.  We rescued him approx 1.5 yrs before he passed from bloat... still miss my big boy ... and he was a throw away when his old family found out he had wobblers.  This sweetheart was a creature with a high, and I mean high metabolism and he was constantly pacing.  We fed him extra because he was thin (Solid Gold Holistiq)... you could look at him straight on an see his head, rib cage and hips... that's all.  Whenever we had him out and about, people commented on his "lack of" weight and "skinny-ness".  It was so hard to explain to people why.  Most people don't understand that Big Dogs are soooooo much better off when they are "not" over weight and unfortuantly, society today is used to seeing some sort of "weight" on our dogs. 
This wonderful beast came to us thin (through genetics/ defects) and crossed the rainbow bridge thin, but he was loved and so very, very happy. 

It seems that the only thing we can do when with our thin babies is to stay ahead of the "others" and keep our vet records, dog food purchase receipts, etc. on hand (in a folder) and ready for any questions or accusasions(sp?).
God Bless our Big Dogs and us... the ones that love them!!

Modify to add pic.

[Stacey]

It is good to know that I am not the only one dealing with this.  After so many times, you can start to doubt yourself, ya know.  Sometimes I think maybe I do need to feed him more or try satin balls, then I tell myself that I know he is healthy he is just slender.  How can anyone doubt my intent?  I feed him the best possible food I can find (switched from Canidae to Innova Evo) and I spoil the dog rotten!
And like you were saying specialk, Tonka paces all the time...it drives me insane sometimes!  If we have company especially he is pacing and pacing!  I have tried to explain, especially to my family, that GDs are not meant to support an excess amount of weight on their joints, and that as long as Tonka had a clean bill of health that he is probably just always going to be slim.
Thanks so much for letting me vent and reminding me that I am not doing anything wrong and that I am not inadvertantly neglecting my dog.

[jabear]

I'd take slender of hearing that my dog is a fatty anyday.  You'll never be able to please everyone which really does stink doesn't it?

[Stacey]

You'll never be able to please everyone which really does stink doesn't it?

truer words were never spoken!


PS I will get some new pics up of Tonka and our new family member this weekend!

[Lyn]

Count me in as another with a 'thin' dog. I'm not getting the comments as much now since Bubba has put some weight on.. finally. But he's could still use a bit more.

My vet was telling me that he was healthy and that he would start to fill out on his own. He was right.. but it only took a year before that started happening.

I was getting to the point that if anyone even remotely mentioned Bubba's weight, I immediately went on the defensive. I can have a short fuse, expecially when someone keeps pushing the issue. One time with my neighbor I threw a coffee cup at him and hit him in the face. He came into my yard while I was sitting outside and went off on me about how I'm starving my dog.. blah blah blah. Not one of my better moments, but I never liked him anyway. LOL

I agree.. people think a thin/fit dog is a sick/starved dog. If it's not fat it's not healthy. 
 

[Stacey]

OMG Stella!!  I would have beat the F out of that woman!  The last time I took Tonka to Petsmart one of the sales people came up to me and made a comment about his weight, I just gave my preprogrammed response of he is healthy and his weight is just fine, but I was seething inside!  A few months ago, he had started filling out really well and then hit a growth spurt and began looking thin again.  I am going to go postal one of these days, I think I may start carrying coffee cups with me everywhere I take Tonka and just do what Lins did!

[Lyn]

LOL *gasp* Oh no! You can't take my coffee away! How about I just drink it out of a paper cup?

[Gracie Belle]

Stacey, don't lie.  I'm sure he's starving.  I'll come pick him up this weekend and put a little weight on him for ya.    

[Lyn]

hahahhahaahaha LMAO!