AFTER

AFTER
AFTER

BEFORE

BEFORE
BEFORE

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Get fit for Fido

Last night Lindsey and I took our little guy to a large pet store to look at the animals.  I used to work there as a teenager, so for me it was a stroll down memory lane.

Tears filled my eyes as I remembered being bitten by the hamsters.

One thing I noticed that wasn't there 12+ years ago was a bunch of weight-loss products for dogs and cats.  I thought they were funny, but when I started observing the customers and their leashed animals, I realized they were necessary.  They were mostly all huge!

It turns out my head has been in the sand throughout the last decade.

There was an article yesterday on cbslocal.com called "America's Portly Pet Problem," that points out some of the craziness due to our laziness.  The article mentions that a group called The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention claims that 50% of America's pets are overweight or obese.  That's approaching the adult human population, who enjoys a rate of 66%.

Here's a shocker: apparently pet obesity is due to overfeeding and under-exercising.  The problems experienced by animals from obesity are those experienced by humans: diabetes, high blood-pressure, cancer, kidney failure, etc.

So, if my family isn't motivating me to be healthy, I should get fit for Fido.

3 comments:

  1. Hamster bites are evil, no wonder you teared up:) My uncle gave my siblings and I two hamsters and said they were both boys. We wound up with 21 hmasters!!! There was much weeping, wailing and knashing of teeth.

    Thanks for the great laughs, and helpful information. I am glad I started to follow the blog

    Amanda Joy Petersen
    www.joyinthejumble.com

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  2. Thanks Amanda! I'm glad the hamsters didn't kill you like they did several of my co-workers. They should be renamed "Lucifer's hairballs."

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  3. Another great post Todd... "Lucifer's hairballs"... hmmm.... I think I better stop there...

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