The super dogs: The tallest, smallest and bravest of man's best friend

FROM life-saving hero Endal to 203-year-old Max, there is a new book that tells the tale of some of the world's most amazing pooches.

super dogs, allen parton, endal, tia, big splash, super dogs, canine, dog loversEndal helping owner Allen Parton with breakfast[REX]

HEROIC SUPER DOG: Endal

In 1997 Endal, a male pedigree labrador, qualified to become a fully operational assistance dog and two years later was homed with Royal Navy officer Allen Parton and his wife Sandra.

Allen had been badly hurt in a car crash during the Gulf War, resulting in a 50 per cent memory loss and leaving him unable to speak or move.

The impact on his family and marriage was devastating and on more than one occasion he considered ending his life.

But when Allen and Endal met in 1999 through Canine Partnerships For Independence there was suddenly a chink of light at the end of the tunnel. The pair became inseparable and it marked the beginning of a 12-year-long companionship.

Endal was taught hundreds of commands, including emptying the washing machine, pulling the plug out of the bath (in case Allen fell asleep), picking up the phone, using an ATM machine and sign language - when Allen touched his head Endal knew he wanted his hat, if he tapped his face it meant his razor.

But there was also the time in 2001 when Endal saved his master's life.

During a shopping trip in Hampshire, Allen was knocked out of his wheelchair and left unconscious by the side of the road. Without a moment's hesitation the dog put him into the recovery position, retrieved his mobile and fetched a blanket to pull over him. He then ran into a hotel and barked until somebody followed him to where Allen was lying.

Not surprisingly Endal's heroics made national news. He was hailed Dog Of The Millennium and received the PDSA's gold medal for Animal Gallantry and Devotion To Duty. No wonder he's often been described as the most decorated dog in the world.

But on March 13, 2009, aged 13 and just days after his last Crufts appearance, Endal had to be put down after suffering a stroke.

super dogs, allen parton, endal, tia, big splash, super dogs, canine, dog loversMilly the world’s smallest dog can fit into a shoe [WENN]

Max lived to the grand old age of 29 years

RECORD-BREAKERS:

Tia (full name Abellatino Arabella) - the supermum of dogs

A record-breakingly large litter of puppies - 24 in total - was born on November 29, 2004 when Tia, a Neopolitan mastiff owned by Damian Ward and Anne Kellegher, of Manea in Cambridgeshire, gave birth by caesarean section.

Of the pups nine were female and 15 were male but sadly one was stillborn and three died in the first week.

Fully grown the pups have the potential to weigh up to 13st and grow more than two feet tall.

Big Splash - the world's most expensive

In March 2011 Big Splash, a beautiful red Tibetan mastiff, became the world's most expensive dog when he was sold by breeder Lu Liang to a Chinese multimillionaire coal baron for a staggering £945,000.

With the dog weighing 13st or 182lbs that worked out at a record-breaking £5,192 per pound.

Max - the world's oldest

Part beagle, part dachshund and part terrier Max lived to the grand old age of 29 years - equivalent to 203 in dog years - and remains the holder of the title of world's oldest dog.

Owner Janelle Derouen bought her beloved pet in 1983 from a sugar cane farmer in Louisiana. Described by Derouen as "a very, very laid-back dog who likes to lie down, relax, nap, sleep a lot and keep life simple" Max officially claimed his title as a Guinness World Record holder on May 15, 2013.

Tragically three days after being awarded the honour Max died from a grand mal seizure. Had he lived for just three more months he would have been the first dog ever to reach 30 years of age.

Zeus - the world's tallest

Although a four-year-old Great Dane called Zeus from Michigan is currently the record-holder standing at 7ft 4in on his hind legs, 18-month-old Freddy, another Great Dane, from Essex, could soon overtake him.

While Freddy, who weighs 154lb, is already the size of a small horse he is three inches shorter than Zeus, who when on all fours (from paws to withers - the ridge between the shoulder blades), measures 44 inches. But given Freddy's young age he's likely to get even taller.

According to Freddy's owner Claire Stoneman, from Leigh-on-Sea, she spends £4,000 a year on his food which consists of a weekly diet of eight large cans of dog food, 12lb of tripe, 12lb of minced chicken and four roast chickens.

For now though he'll just have to make do with being Britain's tallest dog.

Milly - the world's smallest

Last year Milly the chihuahua was crowned the world's smallest dog at just 3.8 inches tall.

The micro mutt, who lives with her Argentine owners in the north east Puerto Rican town of Vega Alta, was so small when she was born in December 2011 she had to be fed with an eye dropper and could fit into a teaspoon.

And despite being fed almost entirely on gourmet food she failed to grow much larger than the size of an ordinary chihuahua puppy, now weighing around a pound.

But as owner Vanessa Semler concedes: "We have to be really, really careful with Milly because she is so small she can easily be lost."

STRANGE BUT TRUE?

  • Twenty-two per cent of people actually mix up their dog's name with their partner's.
  • The record number of jumprope skips completed by a dog in one minute is 75. This feat was achieved by Sweet Pea, an Australian shepherd/border collie cross, in New York on August 8, 2007.
  • The world record for the most tennis balls held in a dog's mouth at any one time is five. Augie, a golden retriever owned by the Miller family in Dallas, Texas, successfully held all five balls in its mouth on July 6, 2003.
  • The phrase "raining cats and dogs" originated in 17th-century England. During heavy rainstorms many homeless animals would drown and float down the streets giving the appearance that it had actually "rained cats and dogs". ? Thirty-eight per cent of dog owners have a picture of their pet in their wallet while 41 per cent admit to letting their animals sleep in their bed.
  • The loudest bark by a dog was recorded at 108 decibels, produced by white German shepherd Daz in London's Finsbury Park in 2009. ? Nine per cent of dog owners have set up Facebook pages for their pets.
  • Sincethe Battersea Dogs And Cats Home opened in 1860 it has taken in more than three million animals.

FAMOUS DOG LOVERS?

  • "There are things you get from the silent devoted companionship of a dog that you can get from no other source" Doris Day.
  • "A dog reflects the family life. Whoever saw a frisky dog in a gloomy family, or a sad dog in a happy one? Snarling people have snarling dogs, dangerous people have dangerous ones" Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
  • "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog" Mark Twain.
  • "Dogs love their friends and bite their enemies, quite unlike people who are incapable of pure love and always have to mix love and hate" Sigmund Freud.
  • "You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you they will be there long before any of us" Robert Louis Stevenson.
  • "If you don't have a dog there may not be something wrong with you but there may be something wrong with your life" Vincent Van Gogh.


To order a copy of Super Dogs by Malcolm Croft (published by Summersdale, £7.99) call the Express Bookshop on 01872 562 310. Alternatively send a cheque or postal order payable to The Express Bookshop, to Super Dogs Offer, PO Box 200, Falmouth, Cornwall TR11 4WJ, or order online at expressbookshop.com UK delivery is free.

Would you like to receive news notifications from Daily Express?