Frankie the Frenchie is a big deal. His owner Danielle Myers says she can’t walk him anywhere without being stopped in the street.
Tipping the scales at a whopping 26kg, the five-year-old pooch is a real head-turner. And Frankie’s owner Danielle reckons he could be a record-breaker, weighing in at more than any other known large French bulldog across the globe
Frankie, who lives with his owner in Eccles, weighs around the same as a small adult deer and is described as “unnaturally big”.
Danielle, 37, remembers the massive mutt being large at just a few months old when she noticed he was “very long” and had big paws. But since then, her furry companion just kept on growing.
Eventually the colossal canine became so big he started attracting attention for his unusual size.
Frankie is larger than the average French Bulldog
(Image: Kenny Brown / Manchester Evening News)
Danielle, who works in training and recruitment in the travel industry, now believes Frankie may take the throne for the world’s biggest Frenchie – beating a supersize pooch in Australia.
Diaz, otherwise known as Daddy Diaz, weighs 22kg and already claims to be the biggest French bulldog down under, but was hoping to take that title global.
Owner Aden Bedot, from Sydney, realised Diaz was going to grow into a ‘big boy’ when he was just six-months-old. At Diaz’s last weigh in, he topped the scales at more than double the average weight for his breed.
Could Frankie be the world’s biggest French Bulldog?
(Image: Kenny Brown / Manchester Evening News)
Generally, French bulldogs reach about 11 to 12 inches tall, with males weighing between 20 to 28 pounds and females around 16 to 24 pounds.
But at 26kg, Danielle believes Frankie might steal Diaz’s crown – now considering entering him into the Guinness World Records.
“He’s always been big; as a puppy, he was very long with big paws,” she told the Manchester Evening News. “I never thought much of it.
Danielle says Frankie is a big softie
(Image: Kenny Brown / Manchester Evening News)
“It must be every other day someone says, ‘Oh my God, that’s the biggest French bulldog I’ve ever seen.’
“People ask if he’s crossed, but I’ve got papers from both his parents. He’s not from a breeder; a family bred him. He was the fattest lump from the litter.
“He was the one who wasn’t picked, the only one left. I remember we went to see him, and all the other pups were running around playing, but he was sat watching them.
“He had an ear infection so I took him to the vets; it was the heaviest he’s weighed at 26kg.
“I thought, ‘Let me see how big the biggest French bulldog is,’ the Aussie one was 22kg and one in Newcastle was 24.6kg.
Frankie is well-known around Salford
(Image: Kenny Brown / Manchester Evening News)
“It wasn’t until he was about nine-months-old that he was long and getting heavier and heavier. I was like, ‘Please stop growing!’”
Despite his size, Danielle describes Frankie as a “big softie” who loves nothing more than a cuddle – forgetting how big he is when he tries to curl up on her lap.
The owner says Frankie has now become so well-known around Salford he’s even recognised by others when they’re out and about.
“We were in town before and even the kids knew his name,” she said. “They shouted, ‘Frankie!’
“He’s a typical Frenchie, he’s got all the features. He’s all muscle and he’s about the size of a Staffie.
Frankie is a big boy
(Image: Kenny Brown / Manchester Evening News)
“He’s abnormally big but he doesn’t think he’s big, he thinks he’s a lap dog. He’s a big softie and he’s proper cuddly.
“People stop me all the time. I get asked what I feed him; I don’t overfeed him, he’s just on dried food, no special diet or anything like that. He’s just unnaturally big.
“Sometimes I travel for work, so I have someone look after him; they always say people keep stopping us because of his size.
“There’s no official record for the biggest French bulldog but my dad has told me to contact the Guinness World Records. Anyone with a French bulldog is amazed when they see him.”