Mastiff Moose weighs in at over 60kg but can be very nervous
A huge dog nicknamed Big Moose is searching for an owner with a lot of love to give.
Five-year-old mastiff Moose weighs more than 60kg – that’s the same as a full-sized drum kit – and arrived at the RSPCA’s Stubbington Ark*, in Hampshire, in July 2022 when his owners could no longer care for him.
Kate Luxford, Animal Centre Manager, said: “Moose is a big boy with an even bigger heart so there’s a lot of dog to love; and we really do love him.
“He is a gentle giant with a sweet nature who thinks he’s a lap dog – despite his size. He loves nothing more than curling up in your lap even though only his head fits! We think he’s a tiny Chihuahua stuck inside a mastiff’s body!”
Moose needed cruciate ligament surgery before coming into the RSPCA’s care and, although he’s fully recovered, his new owners will need to monitor his exercise levels carefully and ensure he doesn’t put too much strain on his legs.
“Moose can be a sensitive soul and he finds strangers, loud noises, extreme weather and transport quite frightening,” Kate added. “He may look big and tough, but he’s a real softie and will need owners who can reassure him when he’s nervous and who will be willing to continue the training we’ve been doing with him to build his confidence.
“Ideally his adopters will continue to slowly and positively introduce him to new surroundings and experiences, building up to short walks once he’s settled in his new home.
“We’d also like his new owners to be prepared to visit him multiple times here at The Ark in order to slowly build up a bond with him and to understand that he can find meeting new people overwhelming.”
He loves going for short walks and enjoys plodding along calmly on the lead but he can get excited when meeting other dogs so his owners will need to be strong enough to manage his exuberance.
Moose loves to chase and has a high prey drive with cats so the team would prefer for him to go to a home without any neighbouring felines. His current carers keep him muzzled and on the lead when he’s out and about and he’s quite comfortable wearing his muzzle.
For this reason, Moose will need to go to a home without other pets and he’d be best as the only dog, although he’d love to have doggy friends to join for walks and play with at the park.
The team believe he’d settle best with a small family so he is not too overwhelmed in the home.
He can be left for short periods of time and is happy snoozing while his owners are out. Ideally his new owners would have experience dealing with large breeds and/or nervous dogs.
Moose can have dry skin and weepy eyes which vets believe may be seasonal so adopters would need to be mindful that this may require treatment in the future. He eats a dry kibble only diet as he has a sensitive stomach.
Kate added: “Moose is such a sweet soul and we’ve all fallen in love with him. It breaks our hearts to have him here with us for so long.
“We fear people might be being put off due to his size and his ongoing medical needs, due to the cost, but we’re committed to finding him a home and we really hope there’s someone out there who feels they can give him the love and security he deserves.”
🦴 Find out more about Moose by emailing Stubbington Ark on [email protected] or calling 01329 667541.
🦴 This year the RSPCA celebrates its 200th birthday. To mark this special anniversary, the animal welfare charity wants to inspire one million people to join their movement to improve animals’ lives. To find out how you can join the million-strong movement for animals visit www.rspca.org.uk/200.
