Man's dog is so big it often gets mistaken for a lion and costs a bomb to feed

A man has a dog that is so impressively big that it often gets mistaken for a lion or a pony, and you wouldn't believe how much he has to spend on food.

Jamal Miah of East London is the proud owner of Kenzo the dog, a three-year-old Central Asian Shepherd who has a habit of shocking passers-by with his incredible size.

Some people who see Kenzo initially think he must either be a lion or a small pony, but when they get closer they realise he's just a really big dog.

Weighing 85 kilos, around the weight of an average man, Kenzo can reach heights of up to six feet tall if he stands on his hind legs and stretches out.

While a dog that large has a lot of love and affection to give, Jamal has also had to make some modifications to his home to accommodate Kenzo, including iron gates to stop the giant dog from easily destroying the back garden fence.

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Jamal explained that he took on Kenzo after a friend of his gave the dog up for adoption as he'd become too big for the previous owner to care for.

He explained that people who spot the dog have a few different reactions to Kenzo and some of them mistake him for another animal at times.

He said: "We saw him and said 'oh my god'. He's so big and he's just a puppy.

"It's 50/50. Some people are scared and cross the street when they see him, and others just want to stroke and pet him. People will question me, like 'what is this dog?', they'll say 'what is that, is that a pony, is it a lion?'"

"My daughters were scared of him initially because of his size. But after a few walks they got used to him. He knows they're my daughters, so he's their natural protector now."

Caring for the three-year-old dog is a pretty tough task as well, as Jamal wisely decided to invest in a professional dog trainer to make sure Kenzo doesn't get into trouble.

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Plus a dog that big needs a pretty big diet and Kenzo gets through about five pounds of raw meat a day, which Jamal reckons costs him about £1,500 a year.

He's had Kenzo for a couple of years now and thinks that in total he must have spent around £10,000 on training, feeding and maintaining his canine companion.

Despite the massive cost he's convinced that Kenzo is worth it as they've got 'a really good bond together' and while the Central Asian Shepherd may be big he's 'really friendly with dogs and people he knows'.

Jamal also wants to 'break the stigma around big dogs like him', though stresses that a pooch like Kenzo is not for beginner dog owners and he's a naturally outdoor dog.