A nine-month-old puppy in the United States has been hailed as the world's largest, weighing 12 stone and standing six feet tall on her hind legs. The dog, named Euphrates, is a new breed called the American Molossus, selectively bred to replicate the ancient Mesopotamian Molossus, a war dog from 5,000 BC.
Owner Jared Howser, a carpenter from Salt Lake City, Utah, believes Euphrates is the biggest puppy globally after contacting Guinness World Records and hundreds of breeders. At nine months, she measures 31.5 inches at the withers and weighs 260lb. Howser said she eats eight cups of dog food daily and plays with fence posts.
Howser acquired Euphrates after a traumatic home invasion where a burglar threw his Cane Corso out of a window. He sought a larger dog for protection and was directed to the American Molossus breeding programme. The breed is created by cross-breeding English and Neapolitan Mastiffs to produce the closest living relative to the ancient Molossus.
Despite her size, Howser describes Euphrates as affectionate, though her tail can knock down a grown man. He noted that people often mistake her for a fully grown adult and are shocked to learn she is a puppy. Howser added that she has had two growth spurts, making her clumsy as she adjusts to her rapidly increasing size.
