Meet Cooper, the giant dog who iust loves laps

A MIDLANDS couple are being forced to upgrade their car and move house because of their 73kg “pony-sized” Great Dane.

- JAMES CARTLEDGE

Hollie says Cooper now weighs 73kg and, left, the huge pooch as a puppy

Hollie Lees, 28, a service manager from Staffordshire, surprised her husband Ben, 28, an installation engineer, with their “dream dog” in February 2023.

The pup, named Cooper, has gone from weighing 14.3kg (2st 3lbs) at eight weeks old to 73kg (11st 6lbs) at nearly three years old, but he “thinks he’s a Labrador” and loves sitting on people’s laps.

Measuring 3ft 9ins tall but around 6ft when standing on his back legs, Hollie said strangers often ask them: “How much for a pony ride?”

Thanks to Cooper’s size, the couple have had to sell and upgrade both their car and home and they said he sleeps on an almost double-sized bed and has to wear pony rugs in the winter.

Hollie, who is 5ft 5ins, said having Cooper is like living with another “grown man” in the house.

“Everyone’s obsessed with how big he is,” Hollie said. “They’re just amazed and they ask, ‘How much does he eat? How much does he cost?’

“He’s like a local celebrity in our area.”

Hollie and Ben have been together for five years and married for two years after they first met at secondary school and later started dating.

They had both “always wanted a Great Dane”, but kept putting it off - until they found their preferred breeder.