PROUD dog lover Dylan Walsh reckons he owns Britain’s biggest pooch — a 7ft 2in giant who weighs more than 18 stone.
Dylan calls Abu his “house horse” but the two-year-old Turkish Malakli could yet put on another 5st — because he is far from full grown.
Dylan Walsh believes his 18 stone pet dog Abu is the biggest pooch in BritainNNP
Dylan says pet Abu is not full grown and could yet get even biggerNNP
He demolishes 10lbs of meat a day, often munching two whole chickens for his tea, which costs Dylan £400 a month.
Dog trainer Dylan, 33, spent £7,500 to fly Abu over from Turkey when he was four months old — and already the size of an adult Labrador.
He lives with Dylan, his partner Naomi and their kids India, five, and Reuben, four, in the family’s four-bed semi in Redcar, North Yorks.
Dylan said: “If he decides to flop on the settee, there’s not much we can do about it but it leaves no room for anyone else! It’s like having a house horse.
“He fills the room when he walks into it but we wouldn’t have it any other way. He’s a lovely, gentle dog.”
Dylan says the breed is the world’s largest but they are still not well known.
He said: “When I go out with him, people stop me and ask whether he’s a really big Great Dane, but he’s much bigger and stockier than that.
“The next question I’m usually asked is, ‘How much for a ride?’. It’s like walking with a celebrity.
“I think he’s the largest dog in the UK. I’ve contacted other owners whose dogs aren’t the size and weight of Abu.
“He’s a great example of the breed.”
Britain’s previous biggest dog was thought to be Balthazar — a 16st Great Dane, who lived in Nottingham with owner Dixie Monte-Irvine, 45. The dog died in August.
Dylan says Abu eats two full chickens for his dinner each nightNNP Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
