Kate and Rio Ferdinand buy two huge £40k protection dogs for family after series of high profile footballer burglaries

KATE and Rio Ferdinand have splashed out £40k on two highly-trained protection dogs.

A source told The Sun Online that the couple bought the pooches to protect their family, with the pair expecting their first baby together later this year.

It comes after a series of high-profile footballer burglaries, with Dele Alli and Liverpool FC's Fabinho among the names to have been targeted this year.

An insider explained that Kate and Rio went to renowned , an esteemed company famed for having experts train breeds to be docile family pets - who will become roaring beasts if a threat is detected.

A source close to the couple revealed: "Kate and Rio have bought two dogs from the firm to protect their family.

"One is already at their home, and the second will be joining shortly.

"The couple already have a dog - Kate’s chihuahua - but Rio will enjoy walking these pair a lot more!

"They are incredible family dogs and will protect them like nothing else - everyone has one these days and who can blame them after everything that’s happened with the other footballers. Rio is taking no chances!"

Chaperone K9 confirmed The Sun Online's story by tagging Kate and Rio in an Instagram post that showed off the "stunning" dogs.

In the post, two black pooches can be seen posing in the sunshine with their tongues out.

Chaperone K9 captioned the picture: "These two, simply stunning" before adding Kate and Rio's social media tags.

They previously shared a photo of Rio with one of the dogs - alongside Kate's beloved pet.

The company's expert method allows protection dogs to become beloved and personable pooches while still offering top notch security.

Other celebrities who have bought guard dogs from the firm include premier league stars Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Andy Carroll and Jamie Vardy, as well as singer Stormzy.

The company's website explains: "Chaperone K9 have built a strong reputation. We are renowned for supplying trained dogs to the very highest quality that offer both security and love to their new families in an often unpredictable society.

"At Chaperone K9 we know the full history or all of our dogs only accepting those who have been bred from quality stock with a known family history.

"We have truly bridged the gap between security dogs and family pets. We run a specialist in house training programme for a minimum of six months with a dedicated team of eight staff who expose the dogs to as many different experiences and environments so that they are fully prepared for all eventualities.

"We have a broad range of clients with varying needs and we pride ourselves on being able to offer each a truly bespoke service which is supported by all of our client testimonials.

"We provide dogs to couples, families, people with disabilities, the elderly and those looking for additional security of larger estates."

They add: "Our client base also includes premiership footballers, international rugby players, pop stars and people working in high risk environments. We have supplied dogs all over the UK and Ireland, USA, France, Spain, Germany, Holland, Switzerland, UAE and Saudi Arabia.

"We appreciate that buying a dog is a huge commitment, especially one that is fully trained to be loving family pet as well as a home protector. Consequently, we work very closely with you from the initial meeting throughout the dog’s life."

Kate and Rio, 41, tied the knot last September in a lavish Turkey ceremony.

They announced her pregnancy in June of this year, with 29-year-old Kate secretly filming the moment they told Rio's three children.

The footballer is dad to 13-year-old Lorenz, 11-year-old Tate, and nine-year-old Tia, who he shares with his late wife Rebecca.

The children screamed with joy as they were told the news, with the new addition expected to arrive in Autumn of this year.