Giant puppy thinks he’s a lapdog – turning owners into ‘human dog …
This huge 11st puppy thinks he’s a lapdog and constantly turns his poor owners into tiny ‘human dog cushions’ on their sofa – and he’s still growing. Cuddle monster Newfoundland Sherman is only 18 months old and will continue growing until he’s three and is expected to pack on additional two stone by the time he’s fully grown.
Hilarious snaps show attention-seeking Sherman, who’s almost 6ft tall when on his back legs, pouncing onto owners police officer Elliott and police admin worker Beverley Richardson. Others show him standing at the sink, sombrely posing in giant slogan bibs and enjoying meals out. Despite the couple routinely getting crushed by the super-sized pooch and forking out an eye-watering £5,000 a year on him, they say they wouldn’t have it any other way.
Elliott, from Simonside, South Shields, said: “He’s big and friendly – probably a bit too friendly for his own good. He likes to sit on you because he thinks he’s a lap dog. He doesn’t realise his own size and he’s just started getting really stubborn.
“He’s a massive sweetheart. He’s lovely, he loves everybody and everything. People ask what it’s like having Sherman in the house and I say it’s just like having another person living with you. He’s 11 stone and has a mind of his own. It’s not an aggression thing, but he’ll do what he wants when he feels like it.”
11 stone Newfoundland puppy Sherman often forgets just how big he is (Image: Kennedy News/@sherman_the_newfoundland_)
Elliott, 46, welcomed Sherman into the family home in February 2022 after importing him from a Polish breeder. The huge hound has an appetite to match, gobbling down £120 worth of food every month – while also eyeing up treats on people’s plates when out and about.
The dad-of-one said: “He loves everybody and everything, but I’ve got to be careful with him when I’m sitting with him at coffee shops and cafes though because he loves food. There’s been a few times he’s nearly had people’s food off their plates.”
His eating manners have forced Elliott to pop a bib on him – to stop him drooling on people’s meals.
Elliott said: “Because he drools, he wears a bib. I’ve been sitting at coffee shops and Sherman’s decided to shake his head and it flies everywhere. I don’t want to start having to pay for people’s food.”
Sherman has become something of a local celeb in the South Shields area with people regularly stopping in the street to coo over him.
Elliott said: “He gets stopped all the time, everybody knows him. When I walk past, people will be like, ‘good morning, Sherman’, ‘Hello Sherman, how are you doing?’.”
While Elliott dotes on ‘best friend’ Sherman he concedes that having a massive pet is no easy feat as they’re not a cheap breed to look after.
Elliott said: “Sherman was just under €3,000 [around £2,600] to buy, which is less than people expect as Sherman’s a pedigree, but it’s the monthly costs that can add up.
Elliott Richardson, 46, got pup Sherman from a breeder in Poland (Image: Kennedy News/@sherman_the_newfoundland_)
“His food bill’s £120, then when you add on £120 insurance and £100 for a groom, every month you’re looking at spending around £400 for maintenance. Sherman costs a lot of money, all giant breeds do, but he’s my best friend so he’s worth every penny.”
As well as this, Elliott and Beverley, 41, recently had to fork out £250 for a new vacuum after their previous one ‘burst into flames’ as a result of all of Sherman’s hair. Elliott compared Sherman to being like a Gremlin as, like the fictional creatures, Newfoundlands ‘come with rules’.
He said: “With giant breeds like Sherman, they come with certain rules about how often you can actually walk them because they stay as babies until they’re three years old. Their bodies are still developing, such as their joints and bones, so you’ve got to really take your time with them.
“Also because he’s a big-chested, large breed, you’ve got to generally wait about an hour and a half before and after exercise to feed them because they can suffer from bloating.
“At this age they can become exceptionally stubborn. We’ve got videos of him refusing to go out for a wee. We try to move him but he won’t budge, he just lies there and won’t get up.”
When he isn’t squashing Elliott and Beverley or drooling over people’s food, Sherman likes to spend time with his ‘best friend’ Kodi the cat who lives next door.
Elliott said: “His best friend is the ginger tom cat that lives next door who’s called Kodi. He’s obsessed with him He likes to walk across the fence and Sherman could sit and watch for hours.”
Police admin worker Beverley, 41, said: “I often ask why it’s always me that gets trampled on by Sherman, but there’s no better stress relief than 11 stone of slobber and floof landing on you. I’m just a human dog cushion.”