Got a chubby chihuahua? A husky husky? A plump pit bull? A corpulent collie? A roly-poly retriever?
If so, chances are your fat Fido is just taking after his obese master.
But don't fret. Even if you've let your fitness level go to the dogs, it doesn't necessarily mean the going will be "ruff."
In fact, man's best friend can also be man's best workout partner, says one of America's best-known veterinarians.
DOWNSIZE TOGETHER
Dr. Marty Becker stopped in Edmonton yesterday to promote his latest book and share some tips on how overweight pet owners can downsize alongside their couch-potato canines.
The Idaho-based vet, a regular contributor to ABC-TV's Good Morning America, points out there are no stick-thin dog models on TV or in the newspaper. Nor is there a canine bikini season, he says, his tongue firmly planted in his cheek.
"They don't have to walk past a mirror and do a double-take at their hairy derriere and go, 'Oh my gosh, what happened this winter? No more Scooby snacks for me!' " he explains. "They are more than happy to keep eating."
And pet owners are more than happy to keep feeding them.
Becker, 52, asks: Who can resist those dancing liquid eyes and those Oscar-worthy begging performances?
But well-meaning owners, who wrongly equate food with love, are killing their furry friends with kindness.
The other problem, says Becker, is a lack of exercise.
A recent survey conducted on behalf of Hill's Pet Nutrition Canada and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association found that more than half (57%) of pet owners don't exercise regularly with their four-legged pal.
"There's basically too much food in their bowls and too few miles on their feet," says Becker, co-author of Fitness Unleashed: A Dog and Owner's Guide to Losing Weight and Gaining Health Together.
Becker suggests talking to your vet about what type of foods and quantities your particular breed of dog should eat.
He advises several small daily feedings rather than the typical one or two feasts.
Snacks should be of the healthier variety, like whole baby carrots or apple chunks, Becker says.
And treats, ranging from a small piece of cheese to a slice of select meat, should be dispensed like a Las Vegas slot machine's big payoff - rarely and unpredictably, he offers.
As for hitting the pavement, the good doc recommends at least two blocks or about 600 metres for every 10 pounds of your dog's bodyweight.
So, if Buddy weighs 50 pounds, that means taking him out for a 10-block or three-kilometre jaunt every day.
Becker outlines a progressive walking program in his book.
It's a program that helped him recently lose 40 pounds.
At nearly six-foot-two, Becker says he went from 236 pounds to 196 within the first six months of 2005 by cutting back on his portions and regularly walking his dogs - a golden retriever named Shakira and a 13-pound Papillon poodle-Yorkie cross named Quixote.
Not bad for someone who admits to loathing exercise.
"I love getting out with that dog," he says, adding he always looks forward to reconnecting with nature - feeling the wind in his face, the occasional splash of rain or witnessing six footprints moving through the snow.
His dogs, who never make up an excuse to miss a walk, are better for it, too.
Benefits of their fitness lifestyle include increased muscle mass and more energy, along with a reduced risk of diabetes, heart disease, joint woes, cancer and high blood pressure.
That's something to wag your tail about.
And while exercise helps alleviate depression in people, it can do wonders for curbing behavioural problems in pooches - like biting, barking and inappropriate chewing, says Becker, who also has five healthy cats and four fit quarterhorses.
LIVE LONGER
"A pet that is at its ideal bodyweight will live 15% longer, and that's an average of two years," he explains.
"The furry fountain of youth is putting less food in their bowl and more miles on their feet."
Becker has no doubt the obesity epidemic in people and pets can be tackled with one simple but very effective piece of exercise equipment - a dog leash.
So who wants to go for walkies?
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