History Main / CanisMajor

* ''Manga/OnePiece'' featured a zombie Cerberus, and a squad of dog-riders in Enies Lobby. There was also wolf-man Jabura, and possibly Mr. 4's dog-gun Lassoo.

* Tony Hancock bought a pet puppy for his girlfriend Andrée in one episode of Radio/HancocksHalfHour, said puppy turned out to be one of these.

* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' has Mouse, who starts out small enough for Harry to keep in his pocket and quickly grows into... well, this. Harry often makes jokes about the fact that Mouse is the size of a pony (literally; Harry is somewhere in the region of 6'8'' tall, and Mouse's shoulders come to his waist), ranging from calling him a "West Highlands Dogasaurus" to, "He's a mutt. Half mastiff, half woolly mammoth."

* ''VideoGame/TokyoAfterschoolSummoners'' has Horkeu Kamui, an anthropomorphic wolf that is over 6 ft. tall, making him one of the larger companions in the game.

* Dinah from the ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'' episode "Pony Puppy" is in Clifford's size league.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' has Cerberus, a bulldog the size of your average house. The [[{{Planimal}} Timber Wolves]] can also combine into one massive wolf in the same size range as Cerberus, and Orthros, (yes, [[Myth/ClassicalMythology that one too]]) while not as massive, is still substantially bigger than most ponies.
* Commodore Puddles (Drakken's toy poodle [[MakeMyMonsterGrow who became giant via a growth ray]]) from the ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' episode "Rufus vs Commodore Puddles".

* Tony Hancock bought a pet puppy for his girlfriend Andre in one episode of Radio/HancocksHalfHour, said puppy turned out to be one of these.

* Creator/TonyHancock bought a pet puppy for his girlfriend Andre in one episode of HancocksHalfHour, said puppy turned out to be one of these.

* In Creator/LewisCarroll's ''Literature/Alice'sAdventuresInWonderland'', Alice briefly encounters a puppy about the size of a minivan. (Actually the puppy is normal; [[IncredibleShrinkingMan It's Alice who is anomalous.]]) Its boisterousness makes it more than a little frightening.

* ''LightNovel/SpiceAndWolf'': Holo is a harvest diety whose true form is a very, VERY large wolf.

* ''Manga/{{Duklyon}}: Clamp School Defenders'' - Ineffectual villain Imonoyama uses a growth ray to enlarge the duo's beloved dog, Inuko, into a giant monster dog. Fortunately, she still retains her playfull personality and is "defeated" when an equally enlarged Takeshi commands her to shake hands with him, awwwww!

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'' Timmy needs some enemy that would scare Catman enough to [[RivalsTeamUp team up with his rival]] Crimson Chin. Cosmo has one [[DumbassHasAPoint bright]] moment and summons a HumongousMecha Dog.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' Korra's CanineCompanion is Naga, a [[MixAndMatchCritters polar-bear dog]] so massive that she easily serves as Korra's HorseOfADifferentColor, [[http://www.toplessrobot.com/2011/07/avatar_the_legend_of_the_biggest_damn_dog_and_to_a.php as seen here]]. Naga's dog side is predominant. Occasionally, though, her ''bear'' side shows through, and it is ''scary''.

* Due to the shifted scale Toby from ''Disney/TheGreatMouseDetective'' qualifies. He's an ordianry pup, but all the other characters are mice.
* The titular Big Paw from ''WesternAnimation/PoundPuppiesAndTheLegendOfBigPaw'' is a giant ''puppy''.
* Dinah from the ''MyLittlePony'' episode "Pony Puppy" is in Clifford's size league.

* In {{Steampunk}} cartoon ''WesternAnimation/MrHublot'', a cute little mechanical puppy grows (somehow) into an enormous mechanical dog that is several times larger than its owner.

!!Examples

[[folder: Anime and Manga]]

[[folder: Comics]]

[[folder: Eastern European Animation]]

[[folder: Fan Works]]

[[folder: Film]]

* ''Film/ThorRagnarok'' has Fenris, a gender-swapped version of Fenrir (see Comics section). She's as tall as a building and wide enough to take up the entire Rainbow Bridge. During the finale, she ends up [[CoolVersusAwesome having a brutal battle with the Hulk]]. Notably, she's big and powerful enough to make the Hulk bleed - something nobody, including Thor and ''ComicBook/{{Thanos}}'', has ever been able to do.

[[folder: Literature]]

* Creator/RogerZelazny's ''Literature/ThisImmortal'' has Bortan, Conrad's dog he once found as a puppy and raised, never imagining it would grow as big as a horse -- with plates at his sides and other mutations -- or live for as long as thirty years and counting. If not for natural causes (mutation through radiation), Bortan would qualify as a {{Hellhound}}, and Conrad even calls him one repeatedly.
-->''"Was there ever another dog the size of a small horse, with armor plates on his sides, and jaws like a trap for bears?"''

* ''Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium'': Orcs occasionally ride Wargs (most noticeably seen in ''Literature/TheHobbit''), which are giant evil wolves. Also, ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' has Huan, the huge intelligent dog (good), and Carcharoth, the huge (were)wolf (evil).

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live-Action TV]]

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': The Stark direwolves, which are an unusually large and intelligent species of wolf.
* The {{Big Good}}s of ''Series/TokusouSentaiDekaranger'' and ''Series/PowerRangersSPD'' are anthropomorphic dog aliens named Doggie Kruger/Deka Master and Anubis 'Doggie' Cruger/SPD Shadow Ranger respectively. Bonus points for ''both'' being voiced by Creator/TetsuInada in Japan (he was Kruger's original VA, but SPD gets a RecursiveImport so he's back to dub Cruger).

[[folder: Mythology]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games]]

* Various forms of giant wolves (and, sometimes, other canids and vulpines) have shown up throughout ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}''. The iconic three, which seem to show up in every setting, are Dire Wolves (regular wolves, but bigger and stronger), Wargs/Worgs (Dire Wolves with human-like intelligence and evil alignments), and Winter Wolves (Wargs that [[AnIcePerson have a freezing cold bite attack and]] BreathWeapon).
** The mammoth rider PrestigeClass in Pathfinder allows players to have a Huge (roughly elephant-sized) wolf if they want to, among other possible choices of massive animal companions.

[[folder: Video Games]]

[[folder: Webcomics]]

* ''{{Webcomic/Battlepug}}'', follows the life of a barbarian and his oversized dog, many other oversized creatures also appear.

[[folder: Web Original]]


* In {{Web Serial Novel}} {{Literature/Worm}}, one character, Bitch, has the ability to make dogs temporarily grow into giant, spiky monstrous forms. When she gets a wolf cub, it definitely fits this trope when transformed, particularly as it transforms better than the dogs do (it's less deformed by the transformation), possibly because wolves are just better.
* Parodied with WebAnimation/CyanideAndHappiness: [=S1E3=]'s Clawford The Big Blue Cat - which is a huge pain in the ass and kills the owner's mother. WHO CARES?! SHE HAS A DECIMATING GOLIATH!
* In the {{superhero}} [[{{WebSerialNovel}} web serial novel]] ''{{Literature/Gamer Girl|2016}}'', the first enemy encountered by superhero partners Gamer Girl and Fangirl is the Canine, an SUV-sized, pariah dog-like monster coated in fangs.

[[folder: Western Animation]]

[[folder: Real Life]]

** While Houndoom itself is not that big (though is larger than the dog breeds it most resembles), its [[SuperMode Mega Evolution]] clocks in at 6'03", the same size as Arcanine (although its horns make up a fair amount of that additional height.

* The ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' Arcanine, which is big enough to ride around on.

* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' has the Great Grey Wolf Sif, a giant wolf that wields a giant sword. In the DLC, which takes place centuries in the past, you can meet Sif as a puppy, and they are still slightly larger than a fully grown normal wolf. ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' has the Greatwolves of the Painted World, which are just as massive as Sif. One is the RightHandAttackDog of the Champion's Gravetender and serves as one half of a DualBoss fight against the both of them. The ones found in the wild lead packs of normal-sized wolves.

* In ''Literature/TheGeneral'' standard cavalry mounts are dogs bred up to the size of horses, and described as between eight- and fifteen-hundred pounds of fur, fangs and bad tempers.

* The ghost dog in ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' has the ability to grow several size its normal height whenever its threatened. Lots of destruction occurs.

* In the ''isekai'' story ''LightNovel/WoofWoofStory'', the main character is reincarnated into a puppy who is adopted by a wealthy noble girl in a fantasy world after he died of overwork as a Japanese salaryman. This was after a goddess apparently granted his wish to be reborn as a pet to live an easy life. The first hint that he's not a normal dog is when he looks in a mirror and realizes that he is ''much'' larger than his owner after only one month after his adoption.

* In the ''isekai'' story ''Wanwan Monogatari ~Kanemochi no Inu n shite to wa Itta ga, Fenrir ni shiro to wa Itte nee!~'', the main character is reincarnated into a puppy who is adopted by a wealthy noble girl in a fantasy world after he died of overwork as a Japanese salaryman. This was after a goddess apparently granted his wish to be reborn as a pet to live an easy life. The first hint that he's not a normal dog is when he looks in a mirror and realizes that he is ''much'' larger than his owner after only one month after his adoption.

* In ''Manga/InuYasha'', Sesshomaru, his father and his mother all have true forms that are this. [[spoiler:In parts of the manga not yet officially published in English, there is a giant mountain dog and a giant fox kami]]

* Pluto from ''Manga/BlackButler'', which can turn into a white haired human but keeps a dog mind. And can [[IncendiaryExponent breath fire]].

* [[FluffyTheTerrible Terry Cloth]] the Battlewolf from ''Manga/{{Toriko}}'' starts out pretty big (an adorable puppy that comes up to the main character's waist) and as the story progresses grows to truly gigantic proportions. [[spoiler:We get a good look at a full-grown Battle Wolf in Chapter 263 which looks like it's the size of a building at the very least]].

* ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'' Bigby's true form which he can assume anytime he wishes is that of a huge wolf as tall as a two story house.

* ''Film/ThorRagnarok'' has Fenris, a gender-swapped version of Fenrir (see Comics section). She's as tall as a building and wide enough to take up the entire Rainbow Bridge. During the finale, she ends up [[CoolVsAwesome having a brutal battle with the Hulk]]. Notably, she's big and powerful enough to make the Hulk bleed - something nobody, including Thor and ''Thanos'', has ever been able to do.

* Pictured above: ''Literature/CliffordTheBigRedDog''. The girl over there is his owner, Emily Elizabeth. Note that Clifford was born the runt of the litter; we're told that his growing to that size was a direct result of [[ThePowerOfLove Emily Elizabeth's love]].
* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': Fluffy from ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'' is a three-headed dog that is inspired by [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Cerberus]]. He is big enough to nearly fill a room.
* ''Literature/TimeOutOfTime'': Gwydon is a massive wolf with the ability to fly.
* ''Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium'': Orcs occasionally ride Wargs (most noticeably seen in ''Literature/TheHobbit''), which are giant evil wolves. Also, ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' has Huan, the huge intelligent dog (good), and Carcharoth, the huge (were)wolf (evil).

* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' has Mouse, who starts out small enough for Harry to keep in his pocket and quickly grows into... well, this. Harry often makes jokes about the fact that Mouse is the size of a pony (literally; Harry is somewhere in the region of 6'8'' tall, and Mouse's shoulders come to his waist), ranging from calling him a "West Highlands Dogasaurus" to, "He's a mutt. Half mastiff, half woolly mammoth."
* The adults in ''WesternAnimation/SpotTheDog'''s world. At least, in the early books, and assuming the scale of their houses are one-to-one with those of the human world.
* Fully grown [[NobleWolf direwolves]] in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' are the size of a pony.
* Conrad's dog Bortan in Creator/RogerZelazny's ''This Immortal''
-->''"Was there ever another dog the size of a small horse, with armor plates on his sides, and jaws like a trap for bears?"''

** The T'lan Ay are huge prehistoric wolves. And {{Undead}} to boot, as they've been extinct for about 320,000 years, when the T'lan Imass decided to include them in the Ritual of Tellann, which made the Imass undead.

* The feral dogs in ''Literature/LocksmithsCloset''. Some of them are three feet tall at the shoulder and weigh about 200 pounds. Others are bigger than that.
* The lack of ShapeshifterBaggage for [[OurWerebeastsAreDifferent Lycanthropes]] in the ''Literature/KittyNorville'' books mean that werewolves range from 100-pound "That's a big one." to 250-pound [[OhCrap "AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!"]] wolves when they shift.
* In ''Literature/TheGeneral'' standard cavalry mounts are dogs bred up to the size of horses, and described as between eight- and fifteen-hundred pounds of fur, fangs and bad tempers.
* Percy Jackson's loveable hellhound Mrs. O'Leary.
* Werewolves in ''Literature/MercyThompson'' ''always'' gain mass when they take wolf form. This means that a human woman who weights 110 lbs turns into a 180 lb wolf while a 180 lb man turns into a 250 lb wolf. The wolf forms of characters like Adam and Charles are described as being enormous.
* ''Literature/ThisImmortal'' has Bortan, Conrad's dog he once found as a puppy and raised, never imagining it would grow as big as a horse -- with plates at his sides and other mutations -- or live for as long as thirty years and counting. If not for natural causes (mutation through radiation), Bortan would qualify as a {{Hellhound}}, and Conrad even calls him one repeatedly.

[[/folder]]

* Myth/NorseMythology

* The [[Literature/SpaceWolf Space Wolves]] of ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' ride giant wolves. How giant? They can take a seven-foot-tall Viking SpaceMarine in PowerArmor to ride and some reach the size of a [[AwesomePersonnelCarrier Rhino]], ([[UpToEleven whose carrying capacity is ten of the aforementioned]] PowerArmor-wearing SpaceMarines).

* In ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'', Reynardine's true form is that of a large fox, and Ysengrin is an even larger wolf. But it is Coyote himself who can [[ShapeShifter become]] [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=286 truly massive,]] towering over even Ysengrim.
* [[http://rhapsodies.wpmorse.com/?m=20051019 Mitzi]] from ''Webcomic/{{Rhapsodies}}''.

* ''Webcomic/AllNightLaundry'' has one. At the beginning he's big, but not impossibly big. He's been bigger in each of his appearances since [[spoiler: due to damage to Bina's Timeline.]]

* Parodied with WebAnimation/CyanideAndHappiness: S1E3's Clawford The Big Blue Cat - which is a huge pain in the ass and kills the owner's mother. WHO CARES?! SHE HAS A DECIMATING GOLIATH!
* In the [[{{Superhero}} superhero]] [[{{WebSerialNovel}} web serial novel]] ''[[{{Literature/GamerGirl2016}} Gamer Girl]]'', the first enemy encountered by superhero partners Gamer Girl and Fangirl is the Canine, an SUV-sized, pariah dog-like monster coated in fangs.

* In the episode "Ace in Hole" in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' Terry (aka Batman) is locked in the dog fight ring with a vicious gigantic mutated mastiff.

* Due to the shifted scale Toby from Disney/TheGreatMouseDetective qualifies. He's an ordianry pup, but all the other characters are mice.

* The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canis_Major constellation of the same name]]. It is the TropeNamer.
* Subverted by real dire wolves. Despite fiction commonly portraying it as being nearly the size of a horse, they were actually no taller or longer than modern grey wolves (though they were more heavily built) and actually smaller than some of the largest breeds of domestic dog.
** Played straight, however, by the prehistoric canid ''Epicyon'', which grew to the size of a lion.
* ''Amphicyon ingens'', a [[PrehistoricMonster bear dog]] that prowled Miocene North America, could grow up to the size of a kodiak bear. Bear dogs, despite the name, are more closely related to dogs than to bears.