A couple claim to have ‘Britain’s naughtiest dog’ after their hound chewed through eight sofas, two dining room tables and 10 remote controls – costing nearly £9k.
Boxer Cooper first destroyed his owner Jill Kirkham’s cuddle chair when he was just 12 months old and has since gone through seven more.
Jill, 54, and her partner, Steve, 60, who is retired, have shelled out thousands to cover the cost of the damage caused by their destructive dog.
Now, at five-and-a-half, Cooper has finally started to ‘calm down’ and has yet to pull apart the couple’s ninth sofa.
Jill, 54, a cleaning supervisor, from Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, said: “Cooper is definitely Britain’s naughtiest dog.
“You can’t take your eyes off him for a second – or he’ll be up to no good.
“We could tell he was going to be mischievous when we got him as a pup, but I was not expecting to have to shell out £9,000 for new furniture.
“He didn’t just nibble the cuddle chair, he took it back to the bare framework.
“To say it was a shock when I walked in from work was an understatement.
“He has cost us an arm and a leg, but I wouldn’t have him any other way.
“He is my best friend and the most loving dog.”
Jill and Steve brought Cooper home in September 2015 and fell in love with him instantly.
“My heart melted when I met him, I just had to have him,” Jill explained.
At just 12 months old Cooper chewed apart the couple’s cuddle chair and left it in tatters.
“I was so shocked,” she said.
“It was then I realised just how destructive he was.”
Just two weeks later, Jill came home to find stuffing in the kitchen and her sofa pulled apart.
“This time I was not happy,” she said.
“He had left it in tatters.
“We spent a few weeks without any furniture before we could replace it.”
The pair decided to try and get Cooper crate trained to straighten out his behaviour but even that did not work.
“We went to see our neighbours and when we got back he had escaped from his crate,” Jill said.
“He had twisted the bars to free himself and eaten apart our brand new sofa.
“I couldn’t believe it.”
Sofas and chairs aren’t the only furniture Cooper has destroyed.
“He has gone through two dining room tables and numerous mobile phones and remote controls,” Jill said.
“One day I came home to find a leg of our dining room table ripped off and in his bed.”
Cooper has done puppy classes, puppy university and agility to try and control his behaviour and he finally seems to be calming down.
“He hasn’t eaten our latest sofa yet,” Jill said.
“It’s a leather one and I don’t think he likes the taste of it.
“We’ve gone through eight sofas, numerous mobile phones, two dining tables, rugs, shoes, trainers and handbags galore.
“But we wouldn’t change him for the world.”
THINGS COOPER HAS DESTROYED
– Eight sofas – costing £700 each
– Two dining room tables – costing £300 each
– 10 remote controls – costing £20 each
– Six mobile phones – costing £300 each
– One set of oak nest tables- costing £250
– One set of wooden doors- costing £300
– TOTAL COST – £8,750