Look at the state of this....!!!!

Ok, this is my aunt and uncles dog. They want me to paint her for them. Their son who lives with them who I also call uncle...long story....is commissioning me to paint this. I'm dreading it. I mean, look at the state of her. She's only 6!!!!

I've tried drilling into them about not overfeeding her and giving her more exercise but it's like talking to a brick wall. I did stop short of painting her docked tail, I'll not do that for any amount of money so we had to position her in a fashion where it didn't show....wasn't hard hiding it behind all that blubber. Least it comes in handy for something.....phoooo!!!

My uncle David is adamant that her whole body is in the composition. Damnit!!!! :mad: I was REALLY hoping to get away with doing a composition where her head an face dominated. I'm really going to HATE painting this....
:(

Blargh, got to go down tomorrow with the disc of photos so they can choose which one they want. I'm only posting one of the photos in here. I think one is enough...anymore and her body mass might fill the forum and make it crash....

I'm tempted to tell him that, in order to fit her body in the comp, it means chopping her head off....haha!!!! :D ....Wishful thinking for it to actually work though.

Boooo!!!!

You can tell I'm really not wanting to paint this can't you?????

When I start, I can post it as a wip (Work in progress) if you all want. Let me know if you want me to. No point bothering if people aren't interested. Wish I had a better subject to post mind....lolol.

Anyway, here is the photo...finally. Not suitable for people of natural nervous disposition and make sure you aren't eating or drinking when you view it.....

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y20...meg13small.jpg

Holy Cow. That poor dog. I'm surprised she can get around with all of that extra weight. That could cause A LOT of future problems for this poor pooch if nothing is done to fix it...


Also, I would absolutly LOVE to see a WIP!

((mouth gaping open)) :eek: Oh my, that is so sad. While I was reading what you wrote I was expecting a large breed dog that was slightly overweight. How can her poor little legs hold her up? :confused:
I wouldn't mind seeing a work in progress either. Maybe what you should do is in the painting make the dog the weight it SHOULD be, and show them.....this is what she should look like. Yeah, I know that's probably not going to work, but it was just a thought. :p

Oooh boy, I would NOT want to hear their vet visits! I got a lecture once, and my cat, while overweight at the time, was nothing like this!

Have you considered asking their vet to tell them they are violating the law, this is cruelty, and giving them one chance to get her losing weight? Then even if she loses just a little it is a start!

poor thing.

Ahhhh!!! That's horrendous...poor, poor, poor dog! :(

Good gravy that is one hefty mamma. Poor thing. I agree the vet should be called in. Perhaps the vet can gently suggest some exercise which would help not just that sweet dog but the humans as well.

Honestly, don't they realize that this dog is in misery? What a sad picture. I feel so bad for her. They have to do something before she dies of a heart attack!! :(

I just wanted to add that I can't imagine you having to go through this painting job without pain and suffering. Maybe you could paint her somewhat thinner and they would take notice. I don't envy you :(

I would love to see a WIP.

Holy Cow! That dog's belly is about as big as a cow! :eek: I hope the poor thing can start losing weight before it has a really bad health issue.

Unless the poor dog has a medical condition, that is downright cruel! Are they also overweight people?
This is quite a creative challenge. Of course we'd like to see your work in progress :)

wow. I have seen a lot of fat dogs at my work, I thought the worst was a 65 lb Beagle, but I think this takes the cake. that is really really sad, it literally breaks my heart to see that. what a tough situation to be in, I really applaud you for making an effort to educate them, but I know, especially with family(!!!) its hard to get them to listen most times..... ugh. man oh man...

Thanks guys. You'll have to put up with me whinging and whining about painting that hefty body the whole way through me painting it...haha. :D

I went down today with the disc and met my cousin there with his laptop so they could view them. My uncle David was working and, of course, he has to choose which photo to use so my cousin has left the laptop there and saved the pics onto it. I also left the disc just in case. I don't need it, lol.

I've tried telling my aunt Marg a feeding regime to put the dog on the other day. To cut out ALL people food because she gets fed too many scraps and human junk food etc...
She admitted on boxing day when I visited that the dog turns her nose up at the complete meal they bought for her so she puts a dish of fresh meat down then the dog eats the meat and then eats the meal. Sheesh!!! :mad:

I told her to stop trying to ply her with other stuff and just offer her a small meal of the complete stuff three times a day and leave it down for 5-10 minutes and then take it up if she hasn't eaten it by then and don't offer her anymore till next meal time. I also said she needed more exercise. 3 strolls around the block on lead walking at an elderly persons pace each day isn't enough for a jack russell. They need more than that. I suggested throwing a ball for her to run after but my aunt Marg says she will only chase it about twice and then stop. HAHA, I said "Are you surprised at her size, she can't physically do anymore?". I told her she needed to build the exercise up gradually. Take her on the playing field and let her off the lead instead of only taking her around the block on lead.

I've told them to ask their vet for advice about getting the dog to lose weight. My Aunt Marg says she has lost some but I bluntly said she didn't look like she'd lost any to me. In fact she looks bigger everytime I see her. My comment was comfirmed when my cousin found an older photo of her on his laptop and she almost looked like a different dog. She was overweight then but nothing compared to now. I asked him how old it was and he said he got it off his phone about a year ago.

If you notice, as I did when taking the photos, she has a fatty cyst down the side of her shoulder area not far above where her front leg joins onto the body. I don't normally see those in younger dogs but they are common in old ones. She also has a black mole growth type thing on the side of her muzzle. You can see it in the photo. Today I commented about how she keeps rubbing her muzzle on her paws and on the carpet and that something was irritating her and needed looking at.
I don't think they like going to the vets unless they REALLY have to. They convince themselves the dog is fine and doesn't need a vet. They also convince themselves that vets just give the dog anything and everything for the sake of it just to make money and that they are better equipped to make the dog better at home without a vets help.

Somebody asked if they were overweight themselves. My Uncle Ray isn't, he's always been on the slimmer side. My aunt Marg is a little but not really enough for you to view her as a fat person if you walked past her in the street. My uncle David isn't really either. I think he has a podge but certainly nothing major. Again, if you walked past him in the street, you wouldn't see a "Fat", person so to speak.

Phooooooooooo!!!!

What a nice looking dog,But that is not healthy,I myself have been battling with my Maggy,She is always gaining,I would get this dog into the vet,and on some sort of Diet ASAP!

There was a case in England with a dog that was really overweight, its owners were prosecuted for cruelty. Even though they had to go to court and pay a fine they couldnt understand how they were being cruel as they fed it the food it liked because they loved it. There is a show on tv at he moment called 'I'm as fat as my dog' kind of like 'The biggest loser but for dogs and their owners, the dogs on the show are huge but its no wonder, one man takes his dog to the pub with him and the dog has a pint of beer!!

Yes, I remember that case in the UK. The dog was a chocolate lab if I remember rightly and was 10 years old.

The two guys got the dog back at the end of it although the RSPCA didn't want them to get it back. They did state they would be monitoring the dog to make sure they don't overfeed it again.

My Aunt and uncle are both aware of that case but they think that Meg doesn't count...somehow. They come out with the same stupid excuses too that those two guys came out with about that lab. I saw a photo of the poor thing in the paper where I read about it. I just can't understand how anyone can let their dog get like that to start with.

I wish you could just "poof" the dog...or "offer" - 'If you don't take her to the vet, I will!'

Might be worth reporting to the vet, short of reporting to the SPCA.

If this were a child, would you call Family Services? Especially with the lump and mark on the muzzle situation?

omg!!! That dog looks like shes in VERY bad shape... ONLY 6 years old?? Wow... Looks like she could pass off for being pregnant easily.. so sad.. :(:(

Canis-lupess. I just saw you are from England too :D That tv show I said about is on BBC3 you should get your aunt to watch it maybe it would make her realise the danger is causing her dog.

BBC3? I'm not sure if they have anything other than the usual channels at their house.
I hardly watch TV myself so, even though the parents have sky, I don't watch it.

I am watching crufts at the moment though, haha. :D Lets see what wins best in show at mecca for dogs, lolol.

WOW!
That's so sad!
The poor thing! :(

That is just cruel! I'd be tempted to refuse to do it

I wouldn't be able to paint her for them. That poor dog. :(

I didn't either. The only reason I agreed originally is because, she weighed less back then and also I thought I'd be able to get away with doing just a head and shoulders portrait.

I found that I couldn't really decide to change my mind and say no now. In the end, I can't fall out with family over it. It certainly wouldn't help the dog. If it was anyone other than family, I'd probably have to turn it down but it's the fact that I had already said I'd do it before...can't say yes and then say no.

I'll just have a to grin and bear it.

Oh WOW. That's pathetic. Poor thing. :( And I thought my Queenie was fat ... she's half of that dog, and she's an ACD.

Maybe you could paint her sitting down instead of standing at least. From certain angles, that might make it less obvious how fat she is. Maybe sitting down in the grass?? Fairly tall grass.

LOL, there were a couple of photos of her sitting down but she looked even fatter in those than the standing ones. :rolleyes:

Anyway, the one my uncle did choose, she is standing but it's slightly more from a front angle and she doesn't look quite as fat in it as some of the others.

Tall grass, haha.....People have been coming out with alsorts of stuff. I wonder what my aunt and uncles would say if they read these threads, lol. :D

My gosh. Poor Dog. :( :( :( :(
How heartbreaking.



Maybe offer to do the portrait for free if they start bringing her to the vet and get her on a diet?

The poor dog :( I can't believe your aunt and uncle can't see for themselves that she needs to go on a serious diet..

But yeah, I do understand where you're coming from when you just can't get it into their heads that dogs are NOT hungry just because they beg at the dinner table.
When I still lived with my dad he was constantly feeding Tiki table scraps and I don't know how many days I have spent not talking to him because I got so angry at him.

..But still.. This dog needs serious help. Please keep on trying to talk sense into them.

-Varga

I'll continue to try. I don't go to their house regularly but if I pass on to them some of the things that have been said in here, maybe they'll listen a bit more......then again, maybe not, lol.

Wow, that poor dog. :( Gosh, if they just limited the food I bet she would lose a bunch of weight... with exercise she could lose it faster. That is so sad, I hope that they will take her to the vet soon.

If they won't stop giving her junk food, maybe you can suggest better people food? Like low fat yogurt, non fat cottage cheese, and/or some egg? That's what I feed Molli, along with her kibble, and she's very fit. 9 inches tall and 5.8 pounds. I know it woulden't help much in her losing weight, but it's better than consuming junk food and fats that she shoulden't be eating in the first place.