Family Photos Show Great Dane Puppy Hilariously Outgrow All His Siblings In A Year
His paw is the size of his little sister now đ
When Maximus joined Caleb and Ashlyn Mellstromâs family, the pup could almost fit in the palm of their hands. But the Great Dane didnât stay that way for long.
Now, at 3 years old and just shy of 200 pounds, Maximus still thinks heâs the same size as his âbigâ Pomeranian sister, Dahlia. âHe has no idea how big he is, and heâs Dahliaâs right-paw dog,â Ashlyn Mellstrom told The Dodo. âThose two are constantly causing trouble together.â

Maximus is the youngest of four dogs at the Mellstrom house, and when he first arrived, not everyone was happy to share their parentsâ attention with a new member of the family.
âCheyenne and Charlie werenât 100 percent sold on him right away,â Mellstrom said. âCheyenne is still not so thrilled about him. Sheâs very much a daddyâs girl and doesnât like anyone else taking his attention from her.â

Charlie, a Great Pyrenees/Lab mix, has grown to accept Max â as long as he doesnât interrupt his strict napping routine. But Maxâs best friend is Dahlia. The two were about the same size when Max first arrived, and even though Max now towers over her, they still see themselves as equals and happily wrestle and play.
To document Maxâs growth spurt, Ashlyn Mellstrom began taking weekly photos of her dog pack. Luckily, her other pups are pros at sitting for the camera â especially when there are treats on the line â and Max quickly caught on.

âWhen I got Maximus, I knew immediately that I had to take growth photos or I wouldnât believe that he used to be small,â Mellstrom said. âI was kind of obsessed with seeing the change every week.â
âEverybody has to sit, which some days can be a struggle depending on who wants to cooperate,â she added. âOnce theyâre lined up, Iâd yell silly words that they like just to get them to look, and snap tons of photos.â

Even though she has photographic evidence, Mellstrom is still surprised that Maximus couldâve ever started so small. âDue to unclear instructions, the gray potato may have been watered a little too much âŠâ Mellstrom wrote in a post on Facebook.

Though Max now towers over everyone, including his parents, no one holds his size against him. While each dog has their own unique personality and look, they all know they're part of the same family.

âThey all fit very nicely as a pack now,â Mellstrom said. âThey have their routine and a pretty good understanding of each other.â