Well, I don't want to make a judgment call on this one because I don't know if the owners had problems with their own mobility. Maybe, they couldn't walk the dog and lived in a small apartment. Maybe, he was already large when they bought him or possibly, someone gave Obie to them. It is hard to say. We also don't know if the dog has a thyroid problem. I can make judgment calls when I find out a person has dog in a dog ring and is fighting him. But in this situation, I don't have all the background information. Needless to say, they do care for the dog to the point in which they knew it was better for the dog to be given up since they recognized they couldn't help him with his obesity needs. Maybe, that was the best they could do.