Suggest OddsGiant George, World's Tallest Dog
IStock Photo 2827767 © Stephanie Horrocks
Giant George recently became famous for being 43 inches tall. At 3'7 '', what makes George a giant?
He’s a dog.
On February 15, 2010, the Guinness Book of World Records officially recognized the blue Great Dane with not one, but two titles. George is the tallest living dog, beating out the former record holder—Titan, another Great Dane—by 3/4ths of an inch. He is also the tallest dog ever. Never has a dog officially measured in at more vertical inches than George, who lives in Tucson, AZ.
A double Guinness record-holder at age five, he’s been featured in news stories worldwide since the official announcement of his title on the Oprah Winfrey Show. The idea of contacting Guinness first occurred to his owner, David Nasser, after taking George to a state fair, where three lions were on display. As Nasser told Oprah, “I remember thinking to myself, ‘My dog is bigger than these lions.’”
Big, indeed. George weighs 245 pounds, and eats almost half his weight in food in a month—or over 1,200 lbs. of dog food each year. His head, as you can see on his official website, is roughly the size of a basketball, and he’s not only tall, but long: from nose to tail tip, he is seven feet, three inches long—exceeding Shaquille O'Neal's height by two inches.
The majority of dog owners—1 in 1.87 (53%)—consider their pooch a family member, and Nasser certainly treats George that way. He has his own queen-sized bed. His favorite activity is going for rides around his neighborhood in a golf cart. And on his flights to and from Chicago, the site of Oprah’s television show, George flew economy, not cargo. He took up not one, not two, but three seats—not an ideal flight to be on if you're one of the 1 in 9.09 adults who is afraid of dogs.
Giant George is the latest to join an elite pet-pantheon: individual animals recognized as the smallest, tallest, or biggest in the world. The last two should not be confused; until recently, the Guinness Book was in the habit of using the word “heaviest” in place of “biggest” to prevent mix-ups. In the former category sits Zorba, an English Mastiff who was officially given the title of “world's heaviest dog” in 1989. He tipped the scales at 343 lbs, a Guinness record that still stands. It may stand forever: the category was later retired out of concern that fame-hungry owners might start over-feeding their pets.
On the other end of the canine continuum is Heaven Sent Brandy, a female chihuahua from Florida, listed in the Guinness Book as measuring just 6 inches from nose to tail tip. Only slightly taller than a 16 oz. soda can—and weighing about as much as two of them—Brandy is officially the world’s smallest living dog. She could easily fit in the maw of Giant George, who can (and does) put entire footballs in his mouth.
The Guinness Book currently has no listings for biggest/smallest cats, but, as of George’s crowning, they have officially begun a worldwide search for feline pituitary cases.
As for the tiniest pet on the planet? That would have to be the mouse-like Etruscan shrew, the smallest mammal on Earth. The body of a fully grown adult is only an inch and a half long—about the length of your pinkie finger—and on average weighs 0.063 ounces.
So, by mass, one Giant George = 62,200 Etruscan shrews.
See our other Pet Week content:
Dogs and Racism: Who is the Real Bigot?
Animals Lend Helping Hands, Paws, Hooves, Etc.
Rescue Me: Homeless Animals in the United States
Pets in Love: Dating with Fido (and for Fido)
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Etruscan shrew or chew?
report abuseEtruscan shrew or chew?
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