Many will cross the street when they see the huge pooch coming
Passers-by often mistake Kenzo, the three-year-old Central Asian Shephard, for a pony or a lion (Image: SWNS)
A man from East London has a dog that is so big, people cross the road when they see him and often mistake him for a pony or a lion. Jamal Miah adopted Kenzo, a Central Asian Shepherd, after a friend gave him up because the pooch had become too big.
Kenzo, aged three, is six feet tall when he stands on his hind legs, and weighs a whopping 85 kilos, which is the average weight of a fully grown man. Passers-by are often shocked when they see Kenzo and many will cross the street to avoid walking past the huge dog.
Caring for Kenzo also comes at a cost, for the big dog eats five pounds of raw meat a day. In total, Jamal spends a whopping £1,200 each year on food for Kenzo. Jamal said: “We saw him and said ‘oh my god’. He’s so big and he’s just a puppy. It’s 50/50. Some people are scared and cross the street when they see him, and others just want to stroke and pet him.”
Kenzo is six feet tall when he stands on his hind legs and he weighs a whopping 85 kilos, which is the average weight of a fully grown man (Image: SWNS)
“People will question me, like; ‘what is this dog’? They’ll say ‘what is that’? ‘Is that a pony’? ‘Is it a lion’?,” Jamal said. “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.”
After owning Kenzo for a couple years, Jamal has had to fool-proof his home to accommodate the big dog. He had to install iron gates to keep him from crashing through his fence in his back garden, and he’s had to hire a professional dog trainer to condition him into accepting going inside.
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.” 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’.
