Low-fat Cookie is slimmer of the year

Cookie the dog looked more like the Cookie Monster when his owners first laid eyes on him.

Weighing in at an impressive 63kg, the huge, fluffy Labrador had started to become a spectacle at the SPCA when Auckland couple Arthur and Jenny Chin arrived to adopt a new family pet.

"He looked more like a polar bear," Mr Chin said. "His ears were stretched and looked small compared to his gigantic frame.

"The first time he sat in his new kennel, we thought it would collapse under his weight."

Mr Chin said although they were shocked when they saw the oversized Labrador, something "clicked" and the couple knew that he was the one for them.

A strict diet of biscuits and fruits was immediately on the cards for Cookie - who was first called Norm, but was renamed Cookie by the Chins for being a softie. MORE>>