My dog is big. When we adopted him, he was a measly 35 pounds at 5 months.

Riley’s first day in his new home

I expected him to grow as an adult to approximately double that.

When people say how big Matthew is getting… It’s a nice compliment about how much he is growing – starting to look like a little boy, and not a baby. When people say how big Riley is getting… they are really saying he’s FAT. Apparently the weight I have lost, Riley has found.

Now at 113lbs he is a lot to handle. Just merely brushing up against Matthew can on occasion knock him over. Riley does not know his own strength. In fact, Riley doesn’t know a lot of things. But as a lab, he is motivated by food, and food alone (hmmm, maybe I’m part lab).

Riley has become Matthew’s biggest fan. I always thought they would be best friends growing up together, but it happened so fast. Don’t get me wrong, at first there was a lot of jealousy. Riley was used to being #1, constantly receiving attention from Anne and me.

The first morning

The first couple of nights after bringing Matthew home were… interesting. I anticipated sleepless nights, but as a result of Matthew, not Riley.

But ever since Matthew started eating from his high chair, Riley has patiently waited by Matthew’s side. And it’s not just leftovers. Matthew finds great joy in feeding Riley directly, and having his fingers licked clean.

However, the moment Riley anticipates (his nirvana) is when Matty does his patented windshield washer move. Nope, not the latest dance craze… It’s when he announces he is done eating by flailing his arm wildly across his tray, pushing over his food off both sides of the chair where Riley then devours it within mere seconds afraid that we may pick it up, rather than let him clean it up. Riley is a fast eater. So fast in fact, I would put him up against Joey Chestnut or Kobayashi in the annual hot dog eating contest on the 4th of July. It wouldn’t even be close.

Riley showing Matty how it’s done

After Riley’s recent visit to the vet, we have been informed that the party constant buffet is over. It’s time for the big dog not to eat everything in his sight (tennis balls most definitely included). Our 4 legged boy  must go on a diet. No more than 1300 calories a day. Time to get down to his goal weight of 105 pounds or less. Is there a Lose It! for dogs?