Featured Image Credit: Kennedy News and Media
At some point, many of us have made the mistake of not realising how big we are – it usually becomes apparent when you bash your head on the door-frame, or face the puzzle of trying to find new clothes that fit.
But two-year-old Newfypoo (Newfoundland poodle) Rowlf seemingly has no sense of perspective whatsoever.
When he joined the Pankhurst family in the summer of 2018, the puppy started out as the baby next to the family’s two bulldogs and would spend a lot of time on the laps of his owners. However, soon enough, he had ballooned in size and now weighs more than 7.5 stone (105lbs).
Despite his huge transformation, Rowlf’s behaviour has remained very much unchanged.
Dad-of-two Craig, from Thurstaston, Merseyside, said: “He’s a legend – he’s huge. He doesn’t really know his own size – he thinks he’s a little puppy or the same size as the bulldogs.
“He’s coming up to two next month and he weighs about 7st 8lbs now. When he stands on his hind legs he’s about 6ft and on all fours his back is up to my 10-year-old’s hip.
“He’s very funny. Rowlf will go to get on a normal-size [dog] bed and just sit down on it. He is so much bigger than the other two. He’s not clumsy, but he does like to lay on things and if that is a tiny bed, he tries to make himself as small as possible.
“He occasionally tries to hop up on to my lap. It’s quite amusing when he does. He thinks he’s a lapdog. But he’s so gentle and surprisingly easy to deal with in the house – apart from if he gets wet, comes inside and shakes. Then everything gets sprayed.”
But while Rowlf may be a handful, he’s also played a vital role in the Pankhurst family. Two years ago Craig suffered a devastating stroke aged just 39 that left him unable to walk without a limp and struggling with low mood.
Craig subsequently decided to bring Rowlf into the family and the pooch has been key in helping him to get his life back on track – becoming the ‘ambassadog’ for his charity, A Stroke of Luck, in the process.
Craig said: “Having daily exercise through walking improved my coordination, developed my strength in my left side and I was able to increase the speed I could walk over time.
“Two years on, I’m in a much better physical and mental place thanks, in part, to having Rowlf. He’s absolutely helped me. Being a dog that needs exercising, on the days where I have suffered with depression and anxiety, he has forced me to go out.
“He’s fun, energetic and engaging. He’s happy to stop and be pampered and play with everyone. He was ultimately bought for my recovery and it’s gone so well.
“Now his role is to bring happiness and light to the charity and anyone who engages with it.”