Meet Wendy, The "World's Strongest Dog," And See Her In Action
By
Michael Avery in
Nature
On 6th December 2016
This is Wendy, the dog whose appearance is a long way from the usual long, lean and sleek look of her breed.
She was born with a genetic defect which has left her looking like the Incredible Hulk of Hounds.
While her head, heart, lungs and legs are the size of those of a normal whippet, her gene defect means she is "double muscled".
Some dog breeds are known to be incredible strong.
English whippets aren't one of them. Wendy is an incredible exception.
Most whippets are thin, lithe, and athletic.
Wendy, on the other hand, was born with a rare genetic condition that caused her muscles to grow bigger and stronger than in other dogs, even of her own breed.
People call her the "Arnold Schwarzenegger" of dogs.
But Wendy's owner, Ingrid Hansen, insists that you have nothing to fear from this muscle-bound pooch.
"She doesn't know she's got a genetic defect," Hansen told the "Daily Mail."
"She might give you a nasty lick, that's all." Hansen says that Wendy loves back scratches, and she'll even sit on your lap (if you can handle the weight!)
Wendy's unique genes caught the attention of some geneticists from the United States.
They travel back and forth to Victoria, Canada, where Wendy lives on a farm, to study her genetic code. That means she doesn't have to earn her keep as a show dog.
Instead, Wendy gets to hang out on the farm and flex.
She loves to play with the other dogs and even the horses. After a long day of using those massive muscles just for fun, she sleeps in Hansen's bed.
Wendy was even the subject of an episode of "Animal Planet."
Check it out to see the "world's strongest dog" in action. This pooch is incredible!