So says Sarah-Kate Templeton in her piece (Sunday Times, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health//article1434671.ece?Submitted=true) about the overweight child, Connor McCreaddie who currently weights in at 14 stone. Connor is eight years old. Tomorrow night we can see Connor in action because he and his family are appearing in Tonight with Trevor McDonald and on Tuesday the family faces a "formal child protection conference to decide his future, which could lead to proceedings to take him into care." So what has this got to do with dogs?
Ms Templeton draws a parallel between the recent case of Rusty the obscenely overweight Labrador and this child, Connor, a modern-day Billy Bunter. But this is no laughing matter. Rusty was removed from his owners by the RSPCA and put with foster carers. His owners were prosecuted. Whilst in their care, Rusty lost a lot of weight. The dog is now being monitored closely,even though, much to most people's dismay, he has been placed back with his owners.
Connor's mother and grandmother seem to blame everyone else but themselves. It's quite extraordinary, particularly when you read his typical diet:
- Coco Pops for breakfast
- 11am snack of toast and turkey ham
- Processed food including sausages and burgers
- Lots of deep-fried food including chips
- Two carry-out meals a week
- Dinners with four Yorkshire puddings
- Four packets of Walkers crisps a day
- Biscuits and other snacks every 20 minutes
- Connor's mum says he refuses to eat fruit and vegetables and will not go near salad.
I can't help but think that removing this child may be in everyone's interest. Connor - in a different environment - would have a chance to lose the excess weight and his mother would have time to address her own problems, particularly her depression. I wonder why Connor eats so much? Is his mother overcompensating? Maybe the TV programme will enlighten us tomorrow.
According to the Sunday Times, his mother "cannot bear the thought of Connor being taken into care, and is desperately hoping that the panel will be able to come up with a solution to her son’s weight."
Ms McKeown said: “I am very anxious because I have never been through this before. I do not know what I am walking into. If Connor gets taken into care that is the worst scenario there could be."
No, Ms McKeown, surely the worst case scenario would be the death of your son, due to his obesity.
Ms Templeton is absolutely right to observe that this is, indeed, "The thin line between poor diet and child abuse" and surely we shouldn't stand by and watch this family slowly killing itself, however un-PC such thinking is?
Woof Woof
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