I heard of the My Fat Pet project a month ago. At first I was a little shocked because they seemed to be celebrating obese pets, which we know is very unhealthy and leads to a degraded quality of life for your pet.
I looked into it further and came across a press release said the project ” began as a dog lover’s “silly idea” to raise pet health awareness.” According to their very vague and mysterious website this project involves Joan Rivers in some capacity and encourages owners to upload photos of their fat pets to Facebook and Twitter.
It’s unclear of what the goal of the project actually is. The press release above was written in October 2012 and said this: “Pet owners are encouraged to submit creative photos of their beefy dogs and cats to become eligible to win one of three gift certificates from a nationally recognized pet supply store. Photos will be accepted through November 15, followed by 30 days of public voting. Winners will be announced in mid-December.
Well, December is come and gone and fat pets are still being uploaded to their social media sites regularly. I am not clear whether winners were even picked but, regardless, I don’t see how winning a gift certificate from a pet supply store does anything to curb the pet obesity problem or raise awareness. I did find an article (I can’t remember where now) that eluded to some exciting initiatives in 2013. I haven’t heard anything about those initiatives yet though.
A little hope can be found on the Joan and Melissa show website. In a recap of a season 2 episode I found this: “Joan [Rivers] goes dog walking with her friend, radio personality Peter Tilden. Peter’s dog, Lilly, is a bit of a porker, and when Joan comments on her weight Peter defends her, saying “She might be a fat dog, but she’s my fat dog.” Joan gets an idea. Joan thinks that a reality show about weight loss for dogs would be a hit. She and Peter decide to pitch it all over town.” (you can read a little more about the episode and project my going to the Crossing the Line recap and selecting the “recap” tab).
I still can’t say what this project is about though. Not to brag but I consider myself a pretty connected and savvy pet owner so if I can’t figure it out I doubt the average pet owner can. Without a clear goal and message, I think the purpose of raising awareness for healthy pets has been lost here.
I have been following the engagement with the My Fat Pet Twitter and Facebook pages for a while. I am not seeing people submitting photos and saying “please help my pet lose weight” or “help my pet get healthy”. Instead, what I am primarily seeing resembles more of a celebration of the cuteness of fat pets. It feels like people are proud of how fat their pets are.
This one particular post disgusted me (sorry for the blurriness):
You can see here that even the page manager did not leave a comment indicating that having a 98 lb. dog was unhealthy.
I do have some hope for this project because a few of the photos on their Facebook Page (select “post by others” at the top to see the user submitted photos if it’s not on that view already) DID mention their pet is on a diet.
Under the About section on their Facebook Page it does say this: “A recent survey indicated that over 50 percent of America’s pet population is overweight or obese. If your pet is overweight, snap a photo as their starting point, then start them on a diet and exercise plan!” The problem is that you don’t see that part until you click on the actual about section. Those of us in social media know that most people don’t go that far or even return to the main page often. Also, as I pointed about above, the page manager is not making efforts to drive that message home.
Check out the My Fat Pet Facebook Page and let me know what you think. You can also check out their Twitter page.
This post is part of the Fit Dog Friday Blog Hop brought to you by SlimDoggy, Peggy’s Pet Place and To Dog With Love. I encourage you to visit their blogs to learn more keeping your dog fit, healthy and at the proper weight. You can also join the community of proactive pet owners and healthy pets by writing your own blog post and linking it to the hop.
SlimDoggy says
I was anxious to read your post today since you ‘teased’ us the other day about needing to get something off your chest. And I’m so glad you did. I’ve seen this site and read about them too – I pretty quickly dismissed them as using pet obesity as more of a comedy bit than a true ’cause’ to get behind. It’s unfortunate as a personality like this could lend some real credibility to our attempts to raise awareness. You’ll be glad to know that SlimDoggy takes this pretty serious and we definitely have some very cool ideas to raise awareness this year. You will be hearing about them soon. Thanks for putting into words what was going through my head about this.
Jessica Rhae says
Yes, I guess with Joan Rivers as a spokesperson for anything the tone is not going to be very serious 🙂 It’s funny though because instead of dismissing them, my reaction was “how could I help them be more effective?” (in spreading positive information about pet obesity….if that IS their real aim). But they don’t know who I am, don’t care, probably don’t really want to make a difference here anyway and I certainly wouldn’t have any time. Of course we are excited to hear what you have in the works.
Roxy the traveling dog says
I haven’t heard of that, but it does seem to be sending the wrong message to owners, Sadly, people think a fat pet is “cute”.
Peggy Frezon says
If Joan Rivers is interested in creating a reality show about fat pets, it seems like this FB page was started just to gather potential participants for the show, without any offer of educating or helping. Shame on her.
Jessica Rhae says
Agreed….except I don’t think Joan Rivers is worried about “shame”. Ha, ha.
Jay from The Depp Effect says
Good heavens. I’d better not add my ‘fat dog’ then. He’s a greyhound, and is perhaps two pounds overweight. Because he is a tripod, we do try to keep on top of that, but his housemate is a skinny-skinny greyhound, and is underweight to almost exactly the same degree, despite our best efforts. So we try to feed Jeffie up and slim Sid down and Jeffie isn’t particularly interested in food, but Sid IS.
Doubt ‘My Fat Pet’ would consider poor Sid overweight at all – which just shows how wrong they can be. Maybe I’m doing them an injustice. I might pop over there, but I might burst a blood vessel.
Elizabeth says
Have you considered contacting them and telling them about your cause and why their site concerns you?
Wil Fernandez says
Thank you for adding some rational thought to this comment thread, Elizabeth. The great thing about digital channels is that we can freely exchange ideas and easily make adjustments when needed.
Some people choose to passively jump to conclusions by bashing our efforts to try something different to reach this elusive audience. We welcome and encourage direct communication from anyone at any time.
Jessica Rhae says
@Elizabeth Yes but 1) I wasn’t sure exactly what to say yet and 2) I cold not find the contact person for the “leader” of this program. The best I could tell, this is a Joan Rivers project and I seriously doubt she would answer a letter by me on the issue.
I commend your for trying something different. However, I think there can be a balance between not scaring people away and using the momentum of this project to provide some kind of education. I would be happy to talk further but, as I told Elizabeth, I was unable to find out who was heading the project (Besides Joan Rivers) and any contact information.
Ann Paws says
Hmmm… think it’s just feeding the ignorance of people who think that fat pets are cute… Although I think the idea of a “Biggest Loser” for dogs reality show might actually be a good idea if they ever go through with it.
Wil Fernandez says
We think it is a good idea, too, Ann. 🙂
In order to recruit a large amount of overweight pet owners for a production like this, we started the request for submissions in a non-confrontational way. Most of the people who send in their photos are oblivious to the issues that obesity causes or don’t care to change their behaviors. Adding content that pushes them to get fit at this point would thwart our efforts to find the fattest animals in America.
Thanks for not completely jumping to conclusions by bashing our efforts to try something different to reach an elusive audience.
Jessica Rhae says
@Ann That is what I was thinking. I would love to help be a part of a show like that….even if I was just the coffee girl. Ha, ha.
@Wil I can see your reasoning behind your method. However, if you are attracting an audience that does not think pet obesity is a problem or are not looking for help, I imagine it will be a nasty shock to them when you suddenly point out that their pet is too fat, the owner doesn’t know what they are doing and you want to put their pet on a diet. That may also scare people off.
In my years of environmental education I learned that it is easier to reach the people “on the fence” to enact lasting change. I think you would have gotten plenty of obese pet submissions by asking people who want help with their overweight pet to post photos.
As I said, I would be happy to talk with you if you provide me contact information. I would have preferred the project be totally transparent by making that information readily available in the first place. I did a lot of research and felt like every page I landed on was shrouded by mystery in some form or another. Perhaps it was not to “scare” people who don’t know it’s a problem but it leaves the rest of us having to draw conclusions to some degree. I am glad you found this post and were willing to begin a dialogue about this.
Wil Fernandez says
Jessica, our target audience isn’t pet owners who are “on the fence”, it is people that are oblivious to or otherwise unwilling to change their pet care behaviors. It is impossible to reach these people by pushing pet fitness content because they aren’t looking for it. We are creating a community where they feel comfortable and then introduce incentives for them to consider changing their behavior.
It’s very easy to find more about me and contact me directly: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=wil+fernandez
Jessica Rhae says
Sorry it took me so long to respond. I had a death in the family and was out of town.
I understand that your target market is people that don’t know that pet obesity is a problem. My point was that it is easier to get people to change their behaviors if they are at least aware of the issue or are thinking about making a change (a point that takes a while to get to, if they ever do, if they don’t see the issue as a problem in the first place). That is a basic principle of the behavior change theory. It is clear that you have a specific vision for your project and, although it is not the path I would have chosen, I wish you success.
That being said, my argument in this post still stands – Is My Fat Pet Sending the Wrong Message? As a concerned member of the pet community, and one that works very hard to raise awareness and give legitimacy to the issue of pet obesity, what I see on your Facebook page saddens me. It sounds like you have the intention of doing something good for pet obesity but it has been 9 months since the press release that I quoted and I can’t find any evidence of movement in that direction. People still continue to celebrate fat pets on your page and the idea that it’s funny is still gaining momentum.
I would be happy to visit your site again and write a post celebrating your success in pet obesity education and behavior change when and if it happens.
Pamela | Something Wagging This Way Comes says
Well, I’m not in a big hurry to boost their stats. But it certain seems like there’s no point in considering a fat pet site a public service unless it also has status updates as people are working to make their dogs more fit.
I don’t know if it’s likely you’ll be able to help transform this site. But perhaps you and Slim Doggy want to go looking for fat pets and feature them once they set a plan to make their animals healthier.
Jessica Rhae says
Thanks Pamela. I think that is a great idea. I have featured some before and after photos in the past and gotten a very positive response both from people with fit dogs and people with overweight dogs (some who said it inspired them to get their pet fit). I think adding a background story to the photos would have amazing results. I am going to have to think on this……. 🙂
I think SlimDoggy is starting to offer consultation for pet parents with overweight pets. There may be opportunity for a partnership there.
Wyatt Airedale says
Yes, it’s just sad. We hate to see owners LOVE their pets to an early death with too much food. 🙁
Wyatt’s Family
Wil Fernandez says
Jessica, we encourage you and anyone else with concerns over our activities, plans and intentions to reach out and communicate with us directly. (we don’t bite)
You seem to have done a lot of research to find things to support your criticism, but failed to uncover that we have run several small promotions to gain submissions for our upcoming video series and other initiatives. Here are the winner announcements:
SHAME ON My Fat Pet® Photo Contest
My Fat Pet® Photo Contest
Jessica Rhae says
Thanks for the information. I will definitely check it out. As you said, I did to a lot of research and was unable to find anything like what you provided here. As the title of this post reflects, this was more of a question than a direct criticism. As I stated several times here that I did find some positives that gave me hope but also a lot of missed opportunities. Thanks again for stopping by.
Jessica Rhae says
Could you please provide your contact information? I was unable to find it so could not contact you before I wrote this post…..which helped me to get in contact with you.
Wil Fernandez says
You linked to my press release and quoted me in your blog post and didn’t think to search for my name? I’m very transparent and easy to get in touch with.
Here’s a link: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=wil+fernandez
Jessica Rhae says
No, I did not try and search for your name. As I stated in a previous thread, I wasn’t sure what I would say anyway. How I interpret what is happening on your Facebook page still stands, regardless of your intention. I see no effort to educate people on the issue and am saddened to see fat pets being celebrated. Second, the website and pages seemed so vague and shrouded in mystery to me I was confused. I thought it was an idea you came up with but that Joan Rivers had adopted the idea and was now running with it. Now that I have talked with you it seems clearer but I was a bit confused at first.
Jana Rade says
Well, the purpose of all this seems to be another reality show of sorts:
“Joan Rivers and our other celebrity judges will choose several overweight pets to feature in an upcoming series.”
Jessica Rhae says
It’s definitely for a reality show. My questions are around the education provided to these people and how their example can be used to reach a large audience regarding pet obesity.
Karyl says
98lbs??? That bulldog weighs more than I did in college… YIKES!
emma says
Mom thinks that they really don’t care about the pets health at all, they just want fat pet photos uploaded to boost their own readership numbers. It is quite sad, like a site asking you to upload fat people pics, people would laugh but it is really rotten for those that have their pics uploaded. Yes, they are “pets” but they shouldn’t be ridiculed whether it bothers them or not! Woof! Got that off my paws.
Jessica Rhae says
If you read the thread here, the guy who started the project (I think. I am still a bit confused on that…but he is heavily involved in it) says he does have intention to raise awareness and attempt to affect behavior change. I have seen no real efforts in that direction at this point though. I am a firm believer that it’s not your intention that matters, but your action…and I am not seeing any.
When people join together to ridicule or laugh at the fat pets the idea that having an obese pet is ok in reinforced. That makes me said. It spreads a message different than what I stand for.
emma says
I did read it but I think what they are doing is wrong! If they care so much then people should post a before and after photo together, not just poor fat pets to get people to look at their site! Can’t stand that!
Jessica Rhae says
Agreed. There are a lot of other ways to approach pet obesity without “scaring people off” instead of saying nothing or encouraging people to show off their fat pet.
felisha says
Okay, think of it this way. Can you imagine if people were asked to upload pictures of their grossly obese children, without some clear, upfront indication that the purpose of the request is to examine eating/purchasing habits and help teach about healthy lifestyle changes?
Oh, and BTW, America, not everything needs to be made into a reality show. They are a big part of why so many of us decided to turn off our televisions for good years ago.
Jessica Rhae says
That’s exactly how I would feel. My dogs ARE my kids. My Fat Pet is worried that being obvious about their intent of educating people about pet obesity might scare people off. Apparently, they are trying to attract an audience that has no clue that having a fat pet it bad. If I uploaded a picture of my fat “baby” to show they off proudly and then someone started talking about how being fat is bad it would make me mad and scare me away for good.
bichonpawz says
Joan Rivers does get involved in some interesting stuff! Really weird stuff sometimes!!
Dina and Mom says
That is disgusting! An almost 100lb bulldog isn’t funny.
2 brown dawgs says
A lot of fat cats on that site. Thankfully I have never heard of it until I read about it here and while it has a lot of followers, not as many as some other pet sites.
Jessica Rhae says
True…but still almost 4 times the followers I have. I’m not bitter about that (ha, ha) but I think it having so many fans makes a sad statement about the understanding level of pet obesity health issues. People on that page are not engaging in positive conversations about how to help their pets live healthier lives…at least not that I could find. There is a very long history of fat pet photos so there may be a conversation like on on there somewhere but I went back quite a bit myself.
Liverpool Vet says
Fat pets might look cuddly but they aren’t healthy and that should make any pet owner, worried. 🙂
Judy says
I totally agree with you and that is why we have taken on the quest to end pet obesity by patenting a pet health monitor that automatically weighs household pets for pet parents. We need your help advancing in a competition so that we can win assistance in bringing this product to market and really start walking the walk against pet obesity!
Would you walk the walk with us? We need votes by Friday, Sept. 13th!
Please go to http://www.pollev.com, type keyword petpro1 in the box that appears, and hit submit. its that easy I promise! no sign up or sign in required. We would be most appreciative as we need to advance to Round 3 and really start seriously doing something against this unnecessary, unhealthy state of our pets! Thanks all, Judy. p.s. fyi, our product can be seen at http://www.proactivepethealth.com