A 170-pound German dog from Wisconsin is causing laughter all over the internet because of his habit of jumping on his lap despite his enormous size.
Retail business owner Ken, 42, and his wife Beth Kempen, 40, live with their two children, Maddie and Colin, and two dogs, Joe and Larry.
"It's really a Danish trait," Ken told TheEpochTimes. - "A lot of dogs think they can sit on their owner's lap. They will always try to sit somewhere near you. But Larry absolutely has to sit in your lap".
When Larry wants to sit on your lap, his tactic is to "nuzzle into your face" or "lift his paw to touch you," Ken says. And this sensitive giant doesn't care if you're busy.
"With Maddie, our daughter, who is 13 years old, Larry is very affectionate. He crawls up to her slowly, and if she says, 'Ow!' he jumps off. It's the same with my wife. With me, I'd say about 90 percent of the time he's gentle, but there's that 10 percent where he says, "I'm coming, watch out!"
Ken and Beth have been sharing Larry's antics on Instagram since he joined their family in 2018 and have amassed more than 165,000 followers. Not only do family and friends find Larry hilarious, the sight of Larry sitting on their laps has gone viral.
Before Larry came into the Kempen family, Ken had an English bulldog and Beth had a Yorkshire terrier. But Ken loves big dogs, so when a customer mentioned that his Dane had puppies, the couple couldn't resist. They planned to get Larry's brother, but little Larry won their hearts.
To ease Larry's transition to a new home, Ken and Beth brought home a blanket with the familiar scent of his mom, dad, and siblings. They lay on the blanket before Larry was taken home. Ken believes it triggered Larry's "blanket obsession." Today the dog has seven of them and regularly steals them from people, even his brother Joe.
Over the past four years, because of Larry's great weight, Ken and Beth have changed five armchairs, four couches and one bed. But if the great dog can be rough with furniture, he knows how to hold back with little friends, such as Ken and Beth's two-year-old twin granddaughters, Ken's mother's dog, and Larry's friend Corgi China, whom he lets climb on him.
"I think he knows that when he's bigger than other dogs, he has to be gentle. But as far as cuddling with us and sitting on our laps, he really thinks he can fit," Ken said. - "It works for us, because who doesn't want Larry's love, you know?"
Because Larry can reach all the way to the top of the refrigerator, the family is resigned to the fact that there is "no place safe" from the pet.
Larry is "inextricably" connected to his master Ken, who tries to take him with him wherever he goes. He enjoys truck rides and walks with Ken, and he has no sense of personal space when it comes to his beloved dog.
Although he is a very well-trained dog, there are times when, according to Ken, they just let him do what he wants.
"The only way I can describe his character is amazing," Ken said. - "He knows when we're sick, so he's very gentle, he knows when we're happy, and he gets happy ... he's just amazing."
Source: epochtimes
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