Is this Britain’s most destructive dog? 'Peaches' the tiny terror ate a £2,000 SOFA in just three hours

Destructive dog
Chris Stoddard
Chris Stoddard

The one-year old dog has caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to her owner's home, destroying clothes, furniture and even a lawnmower!

The Mirror reports that she may be tiny and cute, but Peaches may be Britain's most destructive dog.

The one-year-old bichon frise, poodle and bulldog cross has caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to her owner's home - and she ate an entire £2,000 sofa in just three hours. Peaches tears apart anything she can get her teeth on in owner Sharon Johnston's home, even chewing away at the walls and destroying a lawnmower.

Mother-of-two Sharon, from Warrington, Cheshire, rescued Peaches at three days old and struggles to stay angry at the tiny terror. Sharon, 48, has been forced to redecorate her home and replace part of her wardrobe after the dog chewed through clothes, destroyed furniture and damaged walls.

Former council worker Sharon, who hand-reared the pup when Peaches' own mum's milk dried up, finds the carnage funny.

Mum-of-two Sharon, who took early retirement after a back injury, said: "Whatever she can get her paws on she will chew. And she doesn't just chew it a bit, she leaves a path of destruction wherever she goes. I don't know how such a small dog does so much damage. She has eaten the entire sofa, chewed through the lawn mower, the back door, the garden table and chairs and she tears the clothes down off the washing line. I've not kept a tally but the amount of clothes, shoes and furniture we've lost must be in the thousands. It's a good job I like cleaning. It is so shocking and I do get angry but it is so hard to shout at her when it is so hilarious. At first I'm outraged but then I can't help but crack up and the kids are the same."

Divorced single mum Sharon, who is mum to teenagers Jack, 17, and Sophie, 13, also has another dog, Spud, a seven-year-old Yorkshire Terrier. The whole family fell in love with Peaches from the moment they brought her home and Sharon said no amount of destruction would tempt them to give her up.

Thanks to her reign of terror, Peaches must now stay in a back room unless she is accompanied in the rest of the house and has a bone to chew. And the bare sofa the pooch stripped down to the frame and springs has been kept in the family's lounge so if Peaches is feel destructive she can chew on that without ruining the replacement.

Sharon said: "Peaches was born to one of our friend's dogs but her mum's milk dried up so I took in the pups. Sadly her brother passed away but I raised Peaches on a bottle and formula. I had just had surgery to have some lumps removed from my stomach and raising Peaches really helped with my recovery as it was so therapeutic. We formed such a special bond. The connect Peaches has with myself and my son and daughter is like nothing else. She is a member of the family - just like a third child but way naughtier than either of them ever were. So as destructive as she is, the way I see it is as long as she's okay and she's happy then I am too. The rest is just stuff and can be replaced but nothing could ever replace Peaches. We all absolutely love her. Apart from maybe Spud. He's a bit of an old boy now so can't be bothered when Peaches wants to play all the time. We would never give her up. When she was very little we had a few people offer to buy her because she is such an unusual mix but we never would not even now we know how mental she is."

Sharon hopes now the pup is getting older she will start to calm down as Peaches has started to learn some commands - and the mum is even taking the risk of having her house redecorated.

Sharon said: "I have thought about getting her trained but it can be very expensive. I'm just hoping that now she's getting older she is going to start to calm down a bit. She's lost all her baby teeth now and that's usually what causes the chewing. She is starting to learn. She will sit now and wait and give paw if she wants something. Slowly but surely she'll get there. I'm redecorating the whole house at the moment so fingers crossed."

(Story source: The Mirror - September 2016)

 

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