Meet Freddy... 7ft 1in, 11st and still growing! The Great Dane who's so big he has to be walked in the dark so other dogs won't get scared

At 41in from foot to shoulder-blade, Freddy is Britain's tallest dog

He is just short of the world title, held by 44in-tall Great Dane called Zeus

Freddy eats his way through £75 worth of dog food a week

When he was a puppy Freddy also demolished 14 sofas

Relaxing imperiously on the sofa, Freddy the Great Dane leaves no room to doubt who is top dog in Claire Stoneman’s home.



For at 7ft 4in standing on his hind legs, he is thought to be Britain’s tallest dog – and he hasn’t finished growing yet.



At 18 months old, he measures 41 inches from his paws to his withers (the ridge between the shoulder blades) and only needs to grow a few more inches to lay claim to the title of the world’s tallest dog.

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Freddy, a Great Dane who lives with owner Claire Stoneman in Southend-On-Sea, is Britain's biggest dog

Standing at 41in from foot to shoulder-blade, Freddy is just three inches short of the world record

The current world record holder is Zeus, another Great Dane who lives in Michigan in the US



The Guinness World Record is currently held by Zeus, a four-year-old Great Dane from Michigan, US, who is 44 inches tall – the size of a donkey. As for Freddy, he now weighs 11st 2lb and costs £75 a week to feed on standard dog food.



He is also partial to the occasional whole roast chicken or some peanut butter on toast as a treat.



Unfortunately, as a puppy he also had a taste for sofas – and demolished 14 before realising quite how comfortable they are.



IN order to fuel his huge bulk, Freddy eats his way through £75 worth of regular dog food per week

On his hind legs Freddy measures 7ft 4in, towering over Miss Stoneman, who measures just 5ft 4in



While younger Freddy demolished 14 sofas before realising they were better to sit on than to eat

Miss Stoneman, 38, from Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, said: ‘I’d come home and find a sea of foam across the floor. But he’s my baby and I can’t imagine life without him.’



She even gets up in the small hours for his daily 40-minute walk – so they won’t meet other dogs who might be intimidated by him.



‘If he wants to run after a dog I wouldn’t be able to stop him,’ said Miss Stoneman, who is 5ft 4in tall.



Despite his boisterous nature, Miss Stoneman says she cannot imagine life without Freddy

Miss Stoneman even gets up in the small hours for Freddy's daily 40-minute walk ¿ so they won't meet other dogs who might be intimidated by him