Beagles have something in common with American adults. They are food-motivated to put it delicately. Or to put it indelicately: They’re fat.
“Thin” and “beagle” are not two words usually found in the same sentence. Now, please, I do not want to get a lot of emails from beagles arguing this point. Because I do know there are some of you fit guys out there. I get it.
But as a rule, this is the defining characteristic of the breed. Remember how Snoopy would dance at mealtime? – I do that too, which is the reason I have beagles, -- but let’s keep our focus on my dog, please.
So, with the holidays over, it was time to address the Porky Beagle Issue.
Over the years, when delivering bad news, I have found that it is possible to be so pleasant and so marketing-friendly, that a message just plain doesn’t get through. The person you’re talking to doesn’t grasp the unpleasant facts you’re trying to deliver. It is possible to be too soft and too upbeat. This life lesson applies to situations such as telling an employee about the Performance Plan that needs to happen, and it can apply to a whole host of other life situations
In other words, maybe blunt delivery is best for bad news.
I just had to have the “weight talk” with one of my beagles. I did not sugar-coat this. And after all, that would be poor approach for talk about weight. My chat with Oliver the Beagle went something like this:
“Listen, O, we really need to tackle a sensitive subject here. You’re getting porky. I am not saying this to bring you down, Buddy. It’s a health issue. You can’t keep climbing into the dishwasher to look for butter on a spoon. It’s starting to catch up with you. You are on restricted rations until you get back to your goal weight.”
I thought he took it well. I avoided comparisons with his sister, Pooz. Pooz has maintained her lovely figure. So, we’ll see how it goes with the O-Man. Maybe he will be a success story and he can market a Doggie Diet Plan someday. Weigh-ins will be on Thursdays and I will report back.