My 154-pound puppy thinks he’s a lapdog and uses me as a human cushion

He’s the Big Dog of the house.

A 154-pound puppy has no idea just how big he is and thinks he’s still a lap dog, constantly using his owners as “human dog cushions.”

The Newfoundland, named Sherman, is still growing at just 18 months old — and will continue to grow until he turns 3 years old. By the time the pup is fully grown, he’ll have gained at least 28 more pounds.

“At this age, they can become exceptionally stubborn. We’ve got videos of him refusing to go out for a wee,” owner Elliot said. “We try to move him but he won’t budge, he just lies there and won’t get up.”

Sherman’s owners police officer Elliott and police admin worker Beverley Richardson spend over $6,000 a year on their Newfie and are constantly being squished by him — but they love him nonetheless and wouldn’t want anything different.

“He likes to sit on you because he thinks he’s a lap dog. He doesn’t realize his own size and he’s just started getting really stubborn,” Elliot, 46, shared with Kennedy News.

“He’s big and friendly — probably a bit too friendly for his own good,” he added. “He’s a massive sweetheart. He’s lovely, he loves everybody and everything.”

Sherman was welcomed into the family in February 2022 after importing him from a Polish breeder, Elliot, from Simonside, South Shields, said.

“I often ask why it’s always me that gets trampled on by Sherman, but there’s no better stress relief than 11 stone of slobber and floof landing on you,” Beverly, 41, said.

The “cuddle monster” stands at almost six feet tall when on his back legs, and Sherman’s owners love to take hilarious pictures of him.

One photo shows Sherman jumping onto his owners while others show the big pup standing up at the sink, wearing bibs and going out to eat.

Elliot and Beverly spend over $150 in food for the dog every month, but that doesn’t stop him from wanting a bite of everyone else’s food as well.

“He loves everybody and everything, but I’ve got to be careful with him when I’m sitting with him at coffee shops and cafes though because he loves food,” Elliot admitted. “There’s been a few times he’s nearly had people’s food off their plates.”

Sherman doesn’t have the best table manners either, constantly drooling on other people’s meals.

“Because he drools, he wears a bib. I’ve been sitting at coffee shops and Sherman’s decided to shake his head and it flies everywhere,” Elliot said. “I don’t want to start having to pay for people’s food.”

Due to his rare size and stature, Sherman has gained somewhat of a celebrity status in his hometown, with people stopping to take pictures and obsess over him.

But while Sherman is Elliot’s “best friend” and loving pet, owning the dog is still a huge responsibility to take on.

Between food, grooming and insurance, they spend at least $500 on the dog every month. They also had to dish out about $320 for a new vacuum after the last one blew into flames upon cleaning Shernan’s shedded hair.

“Sherman costs a lot of money, all giant breeds do, but he’s my best friend so he’s worth every penny,” Elliot said.

Newfies come with “rules,” however, and Elliot compared them to Gremlins in that sense.

“With giant breeds like Sherman, they come with certain rules about how often you can actually walk them because they stay as babies until they’re three years old,” he said. “Their bodies are still developing, such as their joints and bones, so you’ve got to really take your time with them.”

Sherman is a “big-chested, large breed” and his best friend is a cat named Kodi from next door.

“His best friend is the ginger tom cat that lives next door who’s called Kodi. He’s obsessed with him,” Elliot shared. “He likes to walk across the fence and Sherman could sit and watch for hours.”

Beverly added that Sherman comes first regardless.

“I’m just a human dog cushion,” she said.