Giant 10-stone canine ‘as massive as polar bear’ eats 1kg of biscuits a day and stands 6ft tall

A colossal 10 stone dog “the size of a small polar bear”, has finally found a loving forever home after being put up for adoption by an animal rescue centre. Brody, a white Pyrenean Mountain dog, made headlines when he was taken in by Animal Concern Cumbria in December last year.

The enormous canine weighs in at a hefty 66kg, stands six feet tall on his hind legs and can chomp his way through 1kg of dog biscuits in just one day. His previous owners, unable to provide him with the attention he needed, handed over the six-year-old to the shelter.

Lauren Pickthall, 32, the animal rehoming manager, revealed that the shelter received ‘hundreds’ of requests from dog enthusiasts eager to give Brody a new home. But it was Steve White, 59, and his wife Helen, 63, who were selected by the staff, largely due to their spacious half-acre garden.

The couple, known for their love of animals, were also chosen for their experience in caring for Pyreneans. They embarked on an 880-mile round trip from their home in St Austell, Cornwall, to collect Brody, declaring that “he was more than worth it”.

The Whites shared that Brody has “filled the void” left by the passing of their previous Pyrenean, Wilson, who died aged 13 in October last year. Helen recalled: “When Wilson died we were looking to get another Pyrenean like him.

“I contacted a friend of mine in the Pyrenean Mountain Dog Club of Great Britain to see if they had any rescues which needed a new home. That’s when she told me about Brody.”

Steve admitted that initially, they thought they had “no chance” of adopting him due to the buzz surrounding the dog on social media. But despite their concerns, they filled out the adoption application and, two weeks later, received an email from the shelter requesting a video call to assess if their home was spacious enough for Brody.

Steve recalled: “Following the call, they said they were happy for us to consider adopting him.” He added, “So we organised a time to travel up and visit him at the shelter.”

On January 1, Steve and Helen journeyed to Cumbria and spent two days with Brody, including taking him for a walk up the fells in Wasdale, before officially adopting him on January 3. Helen confessed: “We fell in love straight away.”

She continued, “The first time we met him at the shelter he was all over us, he is just so friendly.” She added, “After spending two days with Brody, we agreed to adopt him.”

She concluded, “Then on the morning of January 3, we signed the official papers and drove him home.” Three weeks later, the couple are pleased to report that Brody has “settled in really well to his new home”.

Steve shared: “We have chickens, a Canadian Goose, and a rabbit, and he is really friendly with all of them.” He added: “He likes snooping around the garden and really loves neck scratches.

“In fact, the day we brought him home he jumped straight into our duck pond and came out green, covered in weeds.” He concluded: “He also loves going to the beach and running on the sand to chase a tennis ball and paddling in streams.

“He doesn’t like the sea much as he can’t drink from it because it’s salty. Surprisingly Brody also hates the rain, no matter how much you try to get him out the house he will just stand in the doorway.

“We have also found out he is a sucker for clotted cream, we don’t give him gobs full but he will happily lick a finished tub clean.” Pyrenean Mountain Dogs were originally bred as livestock guardians, tasked with protecting flocks from wolves and bears.

Lauren remarked: “Safe to say, he’s starting the year exactly where he belongs.” Steve has now launched an Instagram page for Brody — Brody_thebigdog — where anyone keen to track his adventures can follow along.

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