The amiable canine this week became the first entrant in the country's most unusual slimming contest, a national event run by vets and sponsored by a leading pet-food brand.

If all goes according to plan, Jessie, owned by Brian and Janet Nicolls of Cape Town, should lose exactly half her weight, or 33kg, before the end of the contest in August.

This could make her a prime contender for the pet slimmer title, with prizes of a trip to Mauritius for the owners, five-star kennelling while the owners are away and low-calorie dog food for a year.

According to the competition promoter Barrie Davies, Jessie could be the heftiest of her breed in southern Africa.

Her enormous appetite probably stemmed from the trauma of being abandoned by her previous owners, after which she spent a year cooped up in a small kennel.

"She basically reacted as some humans do - she ate herself into a state of obesity," Davies said. "She obviously thought 'Well, food is my last resort'".

Then the Nicolls came to her rescue and whisked her off to the vet for some dietary advice.

The outcome: a high-fibre low=calorie prescription diet and entry in the slimmer's contest.

Said Davies: "Vets often have problems convincing owners their pet is overweight - people seem to take it it personally.

"But that wasn't a problem in Jessie's case."

The competition is expected to attract at least 100 dogs - and some cats - countrywide. Weight=loss is monitored fortnightly and pet owners must supply before-and-after photographs to show the improvement.

Last year's winner was a miniature pinscher which, faced with a coronary after ballooning up to 8kg, slimmed down to 4kg.

"The whole point of the competition is to make pet owners more health conscious about their pets," Davies said.

"Lots of pets suffer from respiratory, heart and joint problems, as well as diabetes, from being overweight. They could live a few extra years if they just slimmed down a bit."

- Bobby Jordan