Take one look at Freddy the Great Dane and your reaction would have to be bow wow… wow!
That’s because he’s the World’s Biggest Dog – who stands at 7ft 6in on his hind legs.
Freddy’s owner, Claire Stoneman, from Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, is utterly devoted to her Guinness World Record pet, and his sister Fleur.
Such is her affection for her pets that the 41-year-old has even made them a priority over her own love life.
Freddy the Great Dane is officially the world’s biggest dog. He is pictured with his owner, Claire Stoneman, at their home in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
The 41-year-old former glamour model is so devoted to her pets – Freddy and his sister, Fleur – that she has made them a priority over her own love life. Miss Stoneman said: ‘They are children to me… because I haven’t had any kids’
Freddy, who is now four years old, weighs a whopping 14.5 stone and holds the Guinness World Record for biggest dog
‘I’ve been single for the best part of four years. But I get cuddles off the dogs and I don’t have to wash dirty underpants,’ Miss Stoneman told the Daily Star Sunday.
‘They are children to me… because I haven’t had any kids. They need me and it’s quite nice to be needed,’ added the former glamour model, who shares her king-sized bed with Freddy.
However, she now says she’s ready to have a relationship, assuming she can find a man who doesn’t mind sharing a house with a monster pooch.
And with dogs that big – Freddy weighs 14.5 stone – maintenance costs are also massive: Miss Stoneman spends in excess of £12,500 a year to look after the pair.
Among four-year-old Freddy’s favourite treats is whole roast chicken or peanut butter on toast.
Unfortunately, as a puppy he also had a taste for sofas – and demolished 23 before realising quite how comfortable they are.
As a puppy Freddy (pictured with Fleur) also had a taste for sofas – and demolished 23 before realising quite how comfortable they are
‘I’d come home and find a sea of foam across the floor. But he’s my baby and I can’t imagine life without him,’ Miss Stoneman told the Daily Mail in 2014.
She even gets up in the small hours for his daily 40-minute walk – so they won’t meet other dogs who might be intimidated by him.
‘If he wants to run after a dog I wouldn’t be able to stop him,’ said Miss Stoneman, who is 5ft 4in tall.
Freddy appears in Channel 5’s The World’s Biggest Dog on December 29, 8pm.
Miss Stoneman spends in excess of £12,500 a year to look after her pet dogs