In the picturesque countryside of Redcar, Yorkshire, the United Kingdom has found its gentle giant: it is Abu, a huge dog of the Turkish Malakli breed of impressive proportions. At over two meters tall and weighing like a baby elephant, Abu is arguably the largest dog in Britain. His proud owner is the dog trainer Dylan Shawwho revealed some surprising details about life with the four-legged friend to the British tabloid.
Abu’s gluttony is as astonishing as his size: this giant every day devours three kilos of meat, including a whole chicken, three mackerel, two eggs and raw dog foodTo. His diet costs £11 a day (more than 12 euros), which equates to a total of over £4,000 per year (approx 4,600 euros). But even though Abu is only two years old, he hasn’t finished growing yet: when he arrived from Turkey in November 2021, when he was just four months old, he had already surpassed Dylan’s other dog, Luna, a Doberman, in size and will continue to do so until the age of three.
But there is more. Despite her impressive stature, she loves sharing moments of affection with Dylan’s children: India, five, and Reuben, four. Dylan emphasizes that Abu is a perfect family dog and behaves impeccably towards children: He’s so tall that when he’s on all fours he’s taller than Dylan, who’s 5’7. Yet he seems to ignore his size and always tries to sit on people’s laps.
Needless to say, Abu has become a real celebrity on his walks and many people would like to capture their encounter with him in photos. Dealing with a dog this size can be a challenge, but to Dylan Shaw, Abu is just a big pup.