If there’s one thing that can be said about the Great Dane known as Giant George, it’s that he is, well, giant! This dog is so big, in fact, that some people who see his picture think Giant George must surely be a photoshopped phony. But “George the Gentle Giant,” as he’s sometimes referred to, is very real. How do I know for sure? In February, Giant George was awarded two titles from the Guinness Book of World Records: “Tallest Dog Ever” and “Tallest Dog Living.
If you are familiar with the Guinness World Records, you know that their verification process is extremely rigorous. Which means there is no way Guinness would proclaim Giant George the World’s Tallest Dog unless he really was. In fact, after two separate vets confirmed Giant George’s impressive measurements, Guinness dispatched their own representative to Tucson, Arizona to measure the super-sized Great Dane themselves.
Just How Big Is Giant George?
The beautiful AKC registered Great Dane weighs 245 pounds (which is about 100 pounds heavier than the average Great Dane), stands 43 inches tall from paw to shoulder and is 7 feet 3 inches from nose to tail — that’s a whole lot of dog! Giant George is 5 years old; he was born on November 17, 2005. Owner David Nasser had no idea his cute puppy would grow so big that one day he’d hold Guinness World Records as the Tallest Dog Living and Tallest Dog Ever. “He looked so cute in his crate,” said David. “Now he kind of looks like a pony when he’s running.”
Life with Giant George
George the Gentle Giant sleeps on a queen size mattress made for humans – alone (not that there would be room for anyone else). Giant George eats about 110 pounds of dry dog food every month, plus treats, which sets his owner back $250 to $300. The colossal dog eats from a dish that’s elevated 20 inches off the floor, and he actually has to bend over to get a drink of water from the kitchen faucet!
George can’t go anywhere without people gawking at him and cracking jokes about how big he is. When David takes him to the local dog park, people say silly things like, “Is that a pony?” and “You need a saddle for that thing.” He hears these quips so often in fact, that David jokes he’d be rich if he had a nickel for every time someone commented about his dog’s massive size.
When Giant George is not frolicking with his canine pals or playing his favorite game, tug-of-war, you might find him riding around the neighborhood in a golf cart with Nasser. “He loves it. Sometimes it’s hard to get him out,” said David.
Giant George and Social Networking
With more than 60,000 loyal Facebook fans and 1400+ Twitter followers, Giant George may hold another title besides his two Guinness World Records: he just might be the most popular dog on the social networking scene! It’s probably because in addition to being so darn big, Giant George has a wicked sense of humor. A recent “tweet” about the “pawtographed” photo his official Fan Club sends out, was actually a blurry photo of Bigfoot.
http://www.giantgeorge.com/
http://www.facebook.com/?filter=app_43016202276#!/GiantGeorge
