Do You Think My Dog is Fat?

Yesterday I took Sasha for a run; it was a beautiful day and we both needed to release some energy. When I got back into my apartment complex, I was stopped by one of our new maintenance guys. He saw me with Sasha and stopped to ask me if my dog was going to have puppies soon. I was so caught off guard by this question, but managed to politely tell him "no, she's actually just a puppy herself." I am sure he was just trying to make conversation. But when other people have done that, they have always asked me if I was going to breed her. People find my dog attractive (she gets a lot of compliments for being a "beautiful dog"), and wonder if I will let her have puppies. Of course, these people don't realize that I got my dog spayed as soon as the vet would let me, so that's out of the question. One Sasha is enough for me. Another thing people don't realize is that she isn't a full-bred lab. Her daddy was a boxer. But she looks like a lab. To the untrained eye, I could see how people can make this mistake.

But this question was just so out of the ordinary. And the more I have thought about it, the more I have been put off by it. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I am wholly offended by the question. The protective mama instinct in me immediately wonders if my dog was insulted and called fat. LOL. Now, you have to understand that I realize my Sasha is not the smallest dog. At a whopping 80 pounds, she is a far cry from a lap dog. And I also realize that my dog has added a few pounds to her physique in recent months. It is completely my fault, as it became difficult to run her every day like she is used to. In recent weeks, though, we have gotten back into our exercise routine, but even so, my dog was never fat. I even put her on a strict workout regimen and portioned controlled diet. I realize that is extreme, but the vet had told me that I had to monitor her weight while she was young so she wouldn't have hip problems when she got older. I will do anything to extend my dog's life and avoid extra vet bills.

So when this man asked me if my dog was pregnant...I couldn't help but think of when a woman is asked if she is pregnant (and she is not). Of course, Sasha knew no difference; she thought he was a new friend to meet. She had no idea he had just insulted her. But I knew. LOL. I have been trying to look at her from all angles to see if she could be mistaken for pregnant. And while I am biased, I just don't see it. She does have a more pronounced chest than normal labs; but that's part of her boxer traits. And that's the wrong end of her body for someone to think she is pregnant. And why would I be running my pregnant dog? So what do you think? Do you think my dog is fat?