This poor dog is lucky he hasn't got diabetes, arthritis, and blown cruciates in both knees!! That is animal cruelty just as much as starving an animal! Dogs don't have will power like people do, so to constantly feed him because he still wants food is not smart!

The people who owned him should be charged with animal cruelty. To knowingly allow an animal to get this obese shows a sick mind. It is the same mindset that has families sitting around stuffing a grossly obese family member who weighs in at over 500 pounds. Just because they want does not mean you get it for them. Yes, people eat too much but if they are no longer able to get up and get it for themselves, you do not have to buy in to stuff them like a prize hog! This is just sick!

I don't consider it cruelty in a legal sense, but I do consider it cruel on a personal level. All dogs have target weight limits and if a person is too STUPID to read a label on a bag of dog food and keep the dog within its limits, then that person just shouldn't own a pet.

We had a dog with a similar weight issue. It cause his immune system to be very poor and in turn he started to get a ton of different problems. I found a great new product that gave his immune system a huge boost. Check out the Companies website. I think you can also buy their products on Amazon. www.DisforDogs.us

I completely agree with the above comments. The previous owners were acting irresponsibly to say the least, and I hope they are fined and required to pay for the poor dog's vet bills. But I'm also angry about the angle that this story is being told. If you only watch the video clip (which most consumers will do) this story is being pitched as a light-hearted fluff piece intended to make the audience laugh, not think or feel outraged. In the reporters word choice and sentence construction he lays the blame at the feet of the dog, which has little control over his diet. Very little is said about the liability of the original owners, or the long term impacts to the animals health. The print version of this story does a slightly better job, but not by much. I certainly hope that NBC does better in the future.

I hope the staff can get his weight back down to where it should be-- before the poor dog drops dead of a heart attack or some other ailment. The original owners should be treated like they treated the poor dog-- stuff them until they can't move around, then see how they like it. Better yet, shoot the fools!

The owners were definitely abusive to the poor dog, not only by stuffing him like a goose destined for foie gras but I hope he doesn't live in a "dog house." IMHO dogs should be family members, not relegated to the yard to operate as living alarm systems.

You know not at all funny ya should be charged with fine, absolutely is abuse.

Pat/Abbak9

This story is awful! I feel terrible for this poor pup. Way to many people overfeed their dogs and to this degree I totally feel that this is cruelty. I am always being told at the dog park that I need to feed my dog more - however the vet says he is at a perfect weight! People need to educate themselves.

Oh God.... too extreme.... maybe even more extreme than the SERIES PREMIERE of Extreme Chef tmrw at 10, 9c on the food network!!