My dogs are so big they’re mistaken for BEARS – they are taller than me & I’ve had to move to a bigger house
A WOMAN who owns two giant dogs says she is often stopped in the street by people mistaking them for bears.
Sanela Becovic, 44, is the proud owner of Teddy and Leo – two Newfoundland terriers who weigh 11 stone and 11.8 stone, respectively.
But the dog owner, who is dwarfed by the beasts when they stand on their hind legs, claims they are both gentle giants.
Sanela, who is a librarian, bought Teddy, six, at 10 weeks old and Leo, four, at eight weeks old for a combined total of €3,100 (£2,681).
The trio now live together in Laholm, Sweden, along with Sanela’s husband, Thomas Petterson – and everyone knows them by name.
“We live in a small city and everyone here knows them, but we still get stopped by people,” Sanela told the Daily Mail.
“It’s hard to get places because people are always stopping us to talk and pet the dogs.
“People tell us they look like bears, they ask us ‘what is that, is it a bear?'”
Ironically, that’s exactly why Sanela bought Teddy – because of his resemblance to the large mammals.
Due to previously being scared of dogs, the librarian would often want a huge fluffy bear to cuddle.
Teddy fit the bill, or as close to it, and soon enough she added Leo to the family.
Sanela said: “I was deathly afraid of dogs, but I was going through a hard time and always wanted a big bear to cuddle.
“It’s hard to explain but I wanted one, and Newfoundlands are gentle, cuddly and have lots of hair – he was perfect.”
Sanela and Thomas, 50, spoilt their dogs rotten and have even altered their lives to fit around the huge mutts.
That includes purchasing a new car for €130,000 (£113,897) – just so they could fit them in the boot.
The couple even took time to add a ramp to make their dogs’ trips more comfortable by helping them climb in.
“It’s basically a minibus that we made into Teddy and Leo’s special car, Sanela explained. “We bought a special mattress and took the seats out.”
Sanela and Thomas, however, then decided to take things one step further.
The couple moved into another flat for an extra €400 (£350) a month in order to give Teddy and Leo their own room.
“It was worth it,” Sanela explained. “I’m planning on turning the extra bedroom into Teddy and Leo’s room.”
However, the 44-year-old is wary of people thinking that keeping a Newfoundland terrier is as expensive as she has made it.
“You don’t need to put this much money into them, I don’t have kids so they are my kids,” she said.
“I’m obsessed with them and I spend much more money on them than normal people do.”
Elsewhere, a proud dog lover reckons he owns Britain’s biggest pooch — a 7ft 2in giant who weighs more than 18 stone.
Dylan Walsh calls Abu his “house horse” but the two-year-old Turkish Malakli could yet put on another 5st — because he is far from full grown.
And a huge dog which is almost 4ft tall and weighs an enormous 12.7st is in need of being rehomed.
Major, an 11-year-old Anatolian Shepherd, suffers from osteoarthritis due to his monster-frame and needs a ramp to get into a car.