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.

Rio Ferdinand is stepping up security at his London mansion with this fearsome guard dog

The former England ace posted a picture of himself with the German shepherd, which is being trained by a dog protection company

Rio and his wife Kate live in South East London

The pair already have a chihuahua 

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

An insider explained that Kate and Rio went to renowned Chaperone K9, an esteemed company famed for having experts train breeds to be docile family pets – who will become roaring beasts if a threat is detected.

Rio Ferdinand often works away from home and is keen his wife Kate, 31, and three children are safe in their South East London mansion.

A source said: “They already have stringent measures in place but you can’t be too careful.

“They also love going out for walks as a family in the countryside, so having a dog makes sense.”

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 confirmed Kate and Rio’s purchases by tagging them in a social media post

Stormzy is among the stars to have previously bought from the renowned company

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.

Kate and Rio also share this dog called Ronnie

The TV pundit spends a lot of time travelling and wants to make sure Kate and his children are safe