'He just kept growing': Life with a 13-stone Arctic dog

Mal, a 13-stone Alaskan Malamute, has become a 'local celebrity' according to his owners

Fluffy ears, tiny paws and adorable eyes. Picking an Alaskan Malamute puppy was not hard for owner Amy Sharp. But as her four-legged friend grew tremendously in size, so did the responsibility.

"His collar is as big as someone's belt. We didn't think he'd get this big," says Amy, laughing.

Mal is five years old and now fully grown, weighing in at 13 stone (82 kg).

He is strikingly similar in size to a Shetland pony but large dogs have always been part of 27-year-old Amy's life.

When her family's 13-year-old husky passed away they decided to get an Alaskan Malamute puppy - a breed originally used as sled dogs and relied upon for endurance and strength.

Mal lives a much slower life than that. But Amy, from Bourne, says his strength can still be very much witnessed, often when she is walking him.

"I'm always being asked, who's walking who?" she says. "We get a lot of head turnings, if people are driving by, you can tell by their eyes they're just like, what?"

Amy Sharp's pet is more than twice the average size of a dog of his breed

Alaskan Malamutes take their name from an Inuit tribe that settled along the shores of Kotzebue Sound in north-western Alaska, according to the American Kennel Club.

The PDSA says they typically grow to between five or six stone (34-39kg) and have a special "double coat" which helps keep them warm in Arctic temperatures.

Amy says she "didn't really notice" how big her dog had grown until he started to grow quickly out of harnesses and collars.

"He just got bigger and bigger," she says.

One of the challenges has been finding someone to groom Mal's coat.

She recently had to make an appeal on social media to ask for help brushing him because previous groomers were not able to do it anymore.

The post was met with hundreds of likes and comments with people marvelling at Mal's size and wanting to help.

Later, while waiting for an appointment in a salon, someone asked if she'd seen the post of "the big dog on Facebook".

"I said, he's mine!" she laughs.

According to Amy, Mal's favourite treat is a cube of cheese

Amy's plea was successful and she quickly found a groomer eager to work on Mal simply because of his breed.

It's considered the "four by four" version of the Arctic dog class because they're used to pulling heavy weights for long distances, according to Joan Sheehan from The Alaskan Malamute Club of the UK.

Though she described the breed as "stunning", she warned that owning one comes with challenges.

"You've got to have strength in mind and body [and] be mindful that if you go for a lovely looking fluffy one, then you've got to be prepared to work with the coat," she says.

"Because you will be living with it in your bed, in your food, on your clothes and everywhere else."

Amy has been on the receiving end of Mal's strength and accompanying stubbornness countless times - often he sits down at the end of his walks and refuses to come inside.

"You can't move him, so the neighbours come out and they'll try and get him to move," says Amy.

"He'll just lay there and be like, I'm not ready to go home yet."

Though he can also be "very loud" with his "back-chatting", Amy has no regrets about her choice of dog.

She would encourage people to do their research before buying a large breed but says her life has become entwined with her furry friend.

"He's a gentle giant. It's Mal's world and we're all just living in it."

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