By Tim Binnall
In response to his wife's suggestion that they improve their backyard, a clever British man surprised her by having a massive Tyrannosaurus Rex statue installed outside their home. The proverbial prehistoric lawn ornament was reportedly the brainchild of Adrian Shaw, who conceived of the idea after a conversation with his wife Deborah. "She suggested that I clear away the weeds and maybe put a gnome on the patio," he recalled mischievously, "which got me thinking."
Citing his wife's love of the Jurassic Park films and David Attenborough documentaries, Shaw decided to eschew the garden gnome and opted for something considerably bigger: a 12-foot long T. Rex statue. "I thought nothing could possibly look nicer," he jokingly said about the 224-pound piece of artwork that he purchased for approximately $2,000 and had installed by way of a giant crane. "The neighbors loved it and took lots of pictures," he said, "it looked great in the garden."
As one might imagine, his wife was not exactly thrilled with the new addition to their backyard, although that may have something to do with how she first encountered it. Since she was at work when the statue was installed, Shaw planned on reveal it to her the following morning and had "even set up my camera to capture her reaction, which I was expecting to be one of sheer delight." Alas, the plan never came to fruition as Deborah had to take their dog out in the middle of the night, which is when she spotted the faux T. Rex.
"I could hear the screams and went running downstairs," he recounted, "but even after the initial shock, she continued to scream." While one might think that the unsettling experience would spell the lead to the dinosaur's extinction in their backyard, Shaw declared that he has "fallen in love" with the statue, which he calls 'Dave,' and insisted that the piece will remain outside their home. "I'm sure Deborah will understand," he said, "and grow to love him just as much as I do."