A family who took in a tiny starving puppy after finding him just hours from death were shocked when he grew into a cuddly 5.5ft giant.

 Paul and Raven Osborne found Danny abandoned in a box at the side of the road near their home in Halifax, Canada, when he was just four months old and decided to adopt him.

Little did they know that the pooch, now 11, was a giant Alaskan Malamute who grew to be taller than many adult humans when standing on his hind legs.

With his thick fur coat, many people have likened him to an intimidating dire wolf from the hit HBO series Game of Thrones - but his family say that he's actually a big softie who is terrified of tiny insects.

Danny is now so big he has outgrown the family car and the couple are trying to find a horse trailer so he can continue to enjoy road trips with them.

Despite his epic size, Danny is such a gentle giant that he runs and hides whenever an insect or fly is near him. Raven, 32, said: 'Danny had nearly died of starvation when we found him in a box at the side of the road.


'We don't know anything about his life before that, but he did have a broken tail and the vet said he wasn't far from death. 'We knew Malamute's were big but I don't think either Paul or I had ever imagined he would get this big.

'At the moment, we're driving around Canada and he's got so big he barely fits in the back of the car.

'We're looking for a wagon to attach to the back of the car for him, like a horse trailer.'

Marty was one of 31 malnourished and neglected Alaskan malamutes found in a home last summer. He was taken in by a rescue organization in Michigan that nursed him back to health. He returned to Durham this week to live with the deputy who saved him

Sheriff’s deputy Dakota Beck of the Durham Animal Services Division deals with dogs every day in her professional life. But Marty was the first one she brought home.

 Last July, Beck found the dog caged in a home crammed with 30 other Alaskan malamutes, a breed similar to huskies, that were all malnourished and covered in their own excrement. “He literally jumped up and hugged me,” said Beck. “And that’s when he melted my heart.”

After months of rehabilitation and multiple surgeries in Michigan, Marty was reunited this week with the officer who helped save him seven months earlier.

The story began with a call about a husky running loose on Sybil Drive on the east side of Durham, which led Beck to a home with a horrible smell lingering on the front porch. Through the window, she saw dozens of sickly dogs in cages – some whimpering, others unresponsive. Beck obtained a warrant to seize the dogs, and a crew from animal services stayed up all night transporting them to the Animal Protection Society of Durham.


The dogs were immediately treated for malnutrition, dehydration and burns from the urine that covered them. The woman hoarding the malamutes, Sandra Lehto, was charged with 28 counts of animal cruelty and barred from owning animals.


After the rescue, calls flooded in to offer the dogs new homes, and all the dogs were places with rescue groups or families. Marty was sent to The Southwest Michigan Husky Club to be rehabilitated.


“Marty was kind of like a toasted marshmallow. Rough on the outside, but soft on the inside,” said Suzanne Sarlls-Hartwell, president of the organization. “We knew he was going to be hard to place because he was older.”
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Every dog has one toy that they adopt as their favorite. It's usually slobbery, dirty, crusty, sloppy and barely recognizable, which makes it the most priceless thing in the world (if dogs understood the concept of currency).

 Luca the Alaskan Malamute has one such toy, and it's made even more adorable by the fact the toy looks just like her.

Luca's owner Karissa Lerch told HLN she initially got the stuffed toy as a stand-in for a real dog. A few years later, when Lerch was finally able to get the dog of her dreams, it seemed natural to introduce the little fluffers to each other. Of course, one grew. A LOT. And the other, well, it's pretty obvious it has been vigorously loved.


"She has kept it by her side ever since," says Lerch. "She is the most cuddly loving dog you'll ever meet."


Lerch says she and her boyfriend have plans to add to their canine family, which may mean another stuffed doppelganger -- and years of gross, wonderful doggie cuddles.
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When this giant fuzzy dog met a teeny rescue kitten, he wasn't quite sure what to make of the little critter. In fact, he might have been a little scared ...

The YouTube user who uploaded the video explained, "I found this kitten on the street hopeless and hungry because his mother abandoned it, so i took it home to feed it, bath him, take him to the doctor and many other things that were needed to be done."

Maybe his dog wasn't ready to be a big brother ...

We can tell these two are going to be the best of friends ... just as soon as the pup gets used his new little family member.


Alaskan Malamutes will win you over with their playful, outgoing dispositions. They greet everyone as a friend — even strangers and first-time houseguests — so they don't make good watchdogs, but they are extremely loyal to their family and friends. Malamutes can learn to get along with other dogs and indoor cats.

The only thing more adorable than one puppy being cute is five puppies being cute — and in unison.

In a video uploaded to Imgur, five Alaskan Malamutes can be seen turning their heads from side to side like five aww-inducing metronomes. The result is borderline hypnotic.

Malamutes are beautiful, striking dogs and many people want to have one for that reason alone. It is vital that you look past the pretty face to the type of dog who comes with it.

Malamutes are stubborn, friendly, independent, energetic, intelligent, dominant and possess a highly developed sense of pack hierarchy.


 

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Evo the Alaskan Malamute demonstrates some impressive babysitting skills as he observes and entertains 4-month-old Adam. A true friendship in the making!

With their wolfish appearance, Alaskan Malamutes may look like intimidating protectors, but most Mals are very friendly with everyone and make miserable watchdogs.

Still, this is a substantial, powerful breed, so it is essential to socialize youngsters so they grow up to trust and respect people.

Malamutes, if raised properly and socialized to children are great companions for children. They are even protective and loving toward babies. But you must do your job too. First, you must prepare an "only dog" for the birth of his sibling pack member, then you must continue to make him feel a part of the family, and lastly you must continue to be the benevolent alpha you've always been - firm and fair.