A hound big as a horse

Postmen beware! 19-stone Samson is Britain's biggest dog

10th July 2007


Standing 6ft 5ins on his hind legs and tipping the scales at an incredible 19 stone 10lbs, Samson is a giant in every sense of the word.

As Britain's biggest dog with a fearsome set of jaws to match, even the slightest growl is enough to make the bravest of postmen think twice before heading up the garden path.

But despite resembling a black beast from ancient folklore and being named after a biblical strongman, owners Julie and Ray Woods insist the Great Dane/Newfoundland cross is as gentle as a lamb.

He boasts a 59 inch chest and a 29 inch neck meaning he has to wear pony coats when it rains and has had to have an extra large collar fitted. His paws are almost the size of dinner plates and he can hold a football in his mouth.

While his awesome build is impressive enough for a fully grown dog, this huge hound is just three years-old and will grow even more.

Julie, 54 and Ray, 65, already spend £60 a month feeding him dried food and turkey legs and take him for four two mile walks a day.

Passers-by do a double take and other dogs keep a safe distance when they spot Samson straining on the leash.

But he is so powerful, it's usually him taking Ray for a walk. Julie, from Boston, Lincs, said: "He's a lovely dog whose bark is definitely worse than his bite.

"People are often instantly intimidated when they first see him because he's about the size of a small horse and very quick.

"But he is so gentle and wouldn't harm a fly. He loves being patted and is very affectionate.

"We've never had such a large dog, our last was a small terrier, but we wouldn't swap Samson for the world.

"He towers over my husband who's not far off six foot and when he jumps up on the garden gate, it's enough to frighten the life out of anyone.

"But his size means that he needs a lot of exercise so we make life as active as possible for him, he goes for four two mile walks a day with my husband and has lots of toys to play with.

"He is fed twice a day, we usually give him a 12-inch bowl full of dried dog mix and the odd turkey leg.

"His legs are so big, I raise his bowl about a foot off the floor on a special stand so he can reach down and eat.

"To protect him from the rain we bought him a coat meant for ponies. Such a large dog getting soaking wet wouldn't smell very nice.

"He has also gone through two collars, they have to be specially made to fit round his neck. His current one is becoming a bit tight so we'll have to have buy yet another one.

"At the moment he is only three years old and we expect him to carry on growing over the next year or so.

"If he gets any bigger though, we might have to move to a larger house." Julie, who receives disability benefits after a stroke left her unable to work, and Ray, her carer, bought Samson from an RSPCA centre when he was six-months-old. Despite being a puppy, he was already well over five feet on his hind legs and weighed 16 stone 2lbs.

His mother was a Newfoundland, a breed famed for it's powerful build while his mother was a Great Dane, dogs renowned for their height.

They belonged to the same owner and were not meant to mate but when they did they produced a litter of 11 puppies.

Samson, however, was literally head and shoulders above his brothers and sisters.

Grandmother of eight Julie said: "He came bounding over and pinned us both to the wall, even though he was little more than a baby. But we were smitten straight away.

"The other puppies were big but none of them came close to Samson. The staff at the RSPCA centre said they'd never seen such a large dog.

"He had been re-homed elsewhere before us but the owners were unable to look after him properly.

"They took him back when he tore their house apart one day while they were both at work.

"To be honest, we've not had too many problems with him. He can be quite excitable at times but that's down to his age.

"He does seem to take over the living room though. Recently we bought a three cushion couch and a two cushion couch.

"Samson was supposed to have the two seater but he has taken the three seater as his own and he's far too big to shift.

"He actually sleeps in the lounge on a double duvet and a pillow.

"The only problem is that he snores quite loud - sometimes I swear I feel the house start to shake." Husband Ray added: "The looks on people's faces when I take him out on his walks is priceless.

"Some people are visibly shocked, passing motorists sound their horns and other dogs tend to give him a wide berth.

"But even though he looks big and imposing, he's actually a softie at heart - a gentle giant." Samson is just over two stone lighter than the world's heaviest dog, an English Mastiff called Hercules from Massachusetts, which weighs 22 stone.

A spokeswoman for the Kennel Club said: "Samson is very big and most probably one of the largest in the world."