Archive · 2 Oct 2026
Delhi’s Fat Dog Contest Crowns Gola Amid Canine Health Debate
Delhi held a fun contest to find its fattest street dog.
The winner was Gola, a popular dog from SDA Market in Hauz Khas.
Gola won 66,952 votes, even though he died while voting was still happening.
People voted online and at four real polling booths.
More than 94,000 votes were counted altogether.
Another finalist, Googoo, weighed 46 kilograms and was staying at an animal shelter.
Veterinarians said that too much rich human food can make dogs sick.
The contest also helped raise food, money, and medical support for other street dogs.
Gola, also known as Kebab or Rajpal Singh, won Delhi’s Fat Dog contest posthumously with 66,952 votes.
Gola received more than 71% of the final vote against Googoo of Saket.
The 64-dog contest drew more than 94,000 votes, including over 1,000 cast at four physical polling booths.
Vets warned that high-sodium human food and severe obesity can cause joint, arthritis, and heart problems in dogs.
Sponsors and individual donors provided specialized food, medical support, collars, and funding for animal-welfare programs.
- Who
- Gola, also known as Kebab or Rajpal Singh, won against Googoo of Saket; organizers, voters, veterinarians, brands, and animal supporters were also involved.
- What
- A 64-dog Fat Dog of Delhi contest concluded with Gola receiving 66,952 votes and winning posthumously.
- When
- The contest concluded last night; Gola died over the weekend while voting was peaking.
- Where
- The contest involved Delhi-NCR, with dogs from areas including SDA Market, Hauz Khas, Saket, Humayunpur, and Malviya Nagar.
- Why
- The event began as an online collection of street-dog photographs and grew into a public contest that also generated support for animal welfare.
Contest Celebration
Veterinary Concerns
Public interest in overweight street dogs
Contest Celebration
Supporters treated the contest as a humorous community event celebrating beloved local dogs and drew more than 94,000 votes.
Veterinary Concerns
Veterinarians warned that presenting extreme weight as entertaining can obscure serious health risks for the animals.
Feeding practices
Contest Celebration
Residents, shopkeepers, students, and restaurants shared food with street dogs as an expression of care and hospitality.
Veterinary Concerns
Vets said rich, high-sodium human food and severe excess weight can contribute to joint pressure, arthritis, and heart problems.
Impact of the viral campaign
Contest Celebration
Organizers and supporters used the attention to provide specialized food, medical care, donations, and other resources for animal welfare.
Veterinary Concerns
The welfare response was needed because the food environment and uncontrolled feeding described in the campaign could contribute to canine obesity.
- Winner
- Gola, also known as Kebab or Rajpal Singh
- Winning votes
- 66,952
- Final vote share
- More than 71%
- Total contestants
- 64 dogs
- Total votes
- More than 94,000
- Physical polling
- Four booths across Delhi-NCR and more than 1,000 in-person voters
- Runner-up health detail
- Googoo of Saket was reported to weigh 46 kilograms and was on a monitored medical diet