‘Is that a lion?’, shout stunned onlookers at sight of Kenzo the dog pounding towards them on the pavement.
So huge is the Central Asian Shepherd that pedestrians cross the road to escape the path of the slathering six foot brute, dragging his owner Jamal Miah behind.
The three-year-old monster mutt weighs a staggering 13.5 stone – the same as the average British man.
And, after chomping through four-and-a-half pounds of raw meat every single day, Kenzo proved a beast of such burden that his previous owner had to give him up.
Jamal Miah adopted Kenzo after his friend was no longer able to bear the vast £100-a-month food bill.
A great big pug! Jamal Miah’s three-year-old Central Asian Shepherd ‘Kenzo’ is 6ft and is often mistaken for a lion. Pedestrians have been known to cross the road to avoid him.
Fancy a game of drool? Jamal has had Kenzo for a couple years now and has had to fool-proof his home to accommodate the enormous animal. He is pictured her with his despairing owner Jamal Miah
Jamal, from east London, said: ‘We saw him and said “oh my god”. He’s so big and he’s just a puppy’.
Joking about people’s reaction to Kenzo, he said: ‘It’s 50/50. Some are scared and cross the street when they see him, while others just want to stroke and pet him.
‘People will question me, like; “what is this dog?” They’ll say “what is that?” “Is that a pony?” “Is it a lion?”
‘My daughters were scared of him initially because of his size. But after a few walks they got used to him. He knows they’re my daughters, so he’s their natural protector now.’
Jamal has had Kenzo for a couple years now and has had to fool-proof his home to accommodate the enormous animal – including installing iron gates to keep Kenzo from crashing through the fence in his back garden.
Jamal also had to hire a professional dog trainer to condition Kenzo into going inside his house.
Hound and vision: Jamal says some people are so scared of Kenzo they cross the street while others just want to stroke and pet him. Many wonder if he’s a ‘pony’ or a ‘lion’.
Feeling paw: The cost to keep Kenzo in food is an eye-watering £100-a-month alone, and owner Jamal has spent a staggering £10,000 on his pet over two years, including training and care.
Puppy love: Central Asian Shepherd ‘Kenzo’ left his owner Jamal stunned when he first set eyes on him as s young pup… now he stands at six foot tall, and weighs 13.5 stone or 85 kilos.
The average lifespan for a Central Asian Shepard dog is between 10 to 15 years
So far, Jamal thinks he has spent about £10,000 caring for his dog including food, training, and general maintenance.
Jamal, the founder of youth development program OMG Education, said: ‘A central Asian shepherd is not a dog for the beginner dog owner.
‘They are naturally outdoor dogs, and they’re meant to be outside.
‘I wanted him to be a friendly family dog, and to break the stigma around big dogs like him.’
Kenzo – the 13.5 stone monster – scoffs £1,200 worth of food every year – including four-and-a-half pounds of raw meat every single day. He is pictured her with his raw meat meal
Jamal, thought “oh my god” when he saw just how big Kenzo was as a puppy. Pictured: Kenzo shortly after Jamal Miah first adopted him
But despite his size, Jamal said Kenzo is ‘really friendly with dogs and people he knows’ and the two have ‘a really good bond together’.
Central Asian Shepherd dogs are known for their fearlessness towards large predators and are a natural protective breed.
They were bred over thousands of years to guard sheep and goat herds in a vast territory, which spreads nowadays from the Caspian Sea to China and from Southern Ural to Afghanistan.
Despite their size, the average lifespan for a Central Asian Shepard dog is between 10 to 15 years.
And, despite his size, Kenzo is not actually the biggest dog in the world.
Great Dane Zeus (pictured), who lives in Bedford, Texas, with his owner Brittany Davis is the world’s tallest living male dog according to Guinness World Records
Brittany said Zeus steals any food left on the counters, eats six cups of food in the morning and another six the afternoon
A Great Dane – measuring 3 ft. 5.18 inches on all-fours and seven foot on his hind legs – holds the title of the tallest living male dog according to Guinness World Records.
Brittany Davis, from Bedford, Texas, says her pet dog Zeus has barely stopped growing since she was given him by her brother’s friend at eight-weeks-old.
A video on YouTube shows Guinness World Records confirming Zeus as the current world’s tallest living male dog.
The owner said her two-year-old Great Dane has gained fame locally because of his attention-grabbing size, with vendors at the Dallas Farmers’ Market giving him lots of extra treats.
Brittany admitted her newly crowned world’s tallest dog Zeus, often use his height to cause mischief.
‘He likes to steal the baby’s pacifier off the counters and any food left on the counters is definitely free reign for him,’ Brittany said.
She explained that dog often leaves the vet in ‘amazement’ and it was her family’s idea to contact Guinness World Record about his astonishing height.
Brittany admitted that they didn’t expect Zeus to be the world’s tallest dog but said it’s ‘fun’ to be able to tell people.
Previous holder: Another Great Dane, also named Zeus (pictured), from Otsego, Michigan, was the world’s tallest dog ever measuring seven feet and four inches when standing on his hind legs – until his death in 2014
Researchers from the University of Sao Paulo have revealed that heavier dogs tend to be more obedient than lighter pets.
In contrast, small, short-snouted breeds such as Pugs, Bulldogs and Shih Tzus are the most badly-behaved breeds, according to the study.
In the study, the team set out to understand the factors that influence aggression in pet dogs.
They enlisted 665 pet dogs across 57 breeds of varying size.
The dogs’ owners completed three online questionnaires – one on themselves, one on the characteristics of their pet, and one on the nature of any aggressive behaviour, such as barking or attacking.
The results revealed that the heavier the dog, the less likely they were to display aggressive behaviours.
In fact, for every extra 2.2lbs (1kg) of body mass, aggressive behaviour was found to decrease by three per cent.
However, small dogs with short snouts were found to be the most aggressive.
Flavio Ayrosa, first author of the study, said: ‘Aggressiveness toward the owner was 79% more likely among brachycephalic than mesocephalic dogs.’
Brachycephalic dogs have short, squashed faces and include Pugs, Bulldogs, Boston Terriers and Shih Tzus.
In contrast, mesocephalic breeds including Beagles, Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers have more intermediate skulls.
The pet’s sex also appears to influence its aggression.
‘The likelihood of aggressive behaviour toward the owner was 40% lower among female dogs than among males,’ Mr Ayrosa said.
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