Media stardom has its drawbacks – just ask Britney Spears or Lindsey Lohan.
But for “Britain’s Biggest Dog,” 3-year-old Great Dane-Newfoundland mix Samson, the media spotlight has been particularly unsettling.
Samson became an unlikely star when a well-meaning acquaintance of owners Julie and Ray Wood contacted the media about the 266-pound dog, who stands 6 feet 5 inches on his hind legs and has a 59-inch chest.
Julie Wood told London’s Daily Mail that Samson has been “very unsettled” by the media attention and that she and her husband have decided to refuse any more photographs or filming.
“He’s a very placid, laid-back dog and I don’t think he liked being ordered about – he just likes the quiet life,” she says. “He really is a gentle giant and he has the kind of nature that means you can’t help but love him,” she says.
Samson’s vet says the dog is not overweight – just large, Wood says. “Because we live with him, we didn’t really see that he was growing so much. But people kept saying he was getting larger and larger.”