Dog owners urged to walk their pups after study finds nearly half our pets are overweight
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TV’s Chris Packham is ­encouraging dog owners to walk their pets more after it emerged nearly half of our ­animals are overweight.
Failing to take them on walks plus giving them human food has made 45 per cent of the nation’s pooches overweight, a SlimFast poll found.
Springwatch presenter Chris, 56, who has a miniature poodle named Scratchy, said: “Someone told me how thin my dog looked but he’s at his ideal weight.
“Our inability to recognise a pet’s healthy weight is because we are a nation suffering from fat blindness.
(Image: Well Being Walkies)
“Most of us have lost sight of what a normal healthy weight is because overweight has become the norm.
“Under half of dog owners take their dogs for a daily walk. Not only is that a physical issue, it’s a mental one as well.”
Scratchy is 14 and Chris walks him from his home in the New Forest, Hampshire, for 5km every morning and a further 3km in the afternoon.
He said: “His joints are becoming a bit stiff so I like to keep him moving.
“I want to keep him happy and healthy for as long as possible.”
Chris, who has Asperger’s, says the benefits are vital for him too. “I find that hour in the mornings is imperative for my mental health.
“I’m breathing fresh air, engaging with nature and I’m with the companion I love most in my life. If it couldn’t happen there wouldn’t be a point of carrying on.”