People can't believe photo of 'gigantic' dog towering over his dad is not AI
When Merritt Dermer adopted a puppy in 2023, she was told he would grow up to weigh about 70 pounds.
“Quickly, we learned this estimate was very off,” Dermer told The Dodo.
Today, Sully the Bernedoodle is 2 years old and weighs 90 pounds, though his fluffy coat makes him look even larger. Standing on his long hind legs, he’s taller than Dermer, who is just under 5 feet tall, by a few inches.
“Almost every single time I take Sully in public,” Dermer said, “someone stops me to ask his breed, how old he is or how much he weighs. A common statement people make is, ‘He is bigger than you,’ or, ‘Who is walking who?’”
When strangers aren’t comparing Sully to a miniature pony, they’re wondering if the photos Dermer posts of her dog on social media are AI-generated.
One specific image of Sully sitting on Dermer’s boyfriend, who is 5 feet, 7 inches tall, recently produced a lot of interest.
“I never imagined so many people would react,” she said. “There were a few people who didn’t believe he was real, and they made sure to tell me it was a fake post.”
But Sully is genuinely that big. He’s also convinced he’s a lap dog.
“He has no idea how gigantic he is,” Dermer said. “He has zero spatial awareness and bumps into things when he gets excited.”
Sully has accidentally put small holes in Dermer’s walls while running to greet her when she gets home from work. He loves attention — and his mama — so much he slams into the wall as he bolts to say hi.
“Sully has a one-of-a-kind personality,” Dermer said. “I have never met a dog quite like him. He is goofy, clumsy, sweet, smart and incredibly stubborn … a gentle giant.”
No matter what other people think of the photos, Sully is the enormous light of Dermer's life — and she wouldn't have it any other way.
