By ANDY DOLAN

Last updated at 09:26 11 July 2007

When Samson the dog decides he fancies a lie-down on the settee, everyone else scatters.

And it's no wonder visitors think again about walking up the garden path when he jumps on the gate to greet them.

Three-year-old Samson is a cross between two of the biggest breeds, the Great Dane and Newfoundland. He is 37in at the shoulder, stands 6ft 5in on his hind legs and weighs an astonishing 19st 10lb.

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If there's a bigger dog in Britain, then Samson's owners Ray and Julie Woods wouldn't want to meet it on a dark night.

But despite his huge bulk, they are happy for him to play with their eight-year-old, 4ft 3in grandson Josh, pictured right. "Samson is so gentle and wouldn't harm a fly," said Mrs Woods, 54, from Boston, Lincolnshire.

The couple spend £60 a month on dried dog food and Samson gets through two large bowls a day, with the odd turkey leg for a treat.

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Mr Woods, 65, said other dogs keep a safe distance when they spot Samson straining on the leash during their daily eight-mile walks.

The couple found Samson at an RSPCA centre when he was six months old. His parents belonged to the same owner and were not meant to mate but managed to produce a litter of 11, of which Samson was by far the biggest.

Guinness World Records has scrapped its entry for heaviest dog because owners were overfeeding pets.