The dog world has a new huge celebrity and he lives in Bedford, Texas, USA. Zeus is a brown American Great Dane and he is just two years old but he is already breaking records. He stands an impressive 3 feet and 5/18th inches and is officially the tallest male dog living in the world.
His proud owner is Brittany Davis who has loved the breed since she was a young girl. She couldn’t believe her luck when her brother brought home an 8-week-old pup from a colleague who bred them. The story of Zeus has been reported in the Guinness World Book of Records. It tells how Brittany was initially nervous but soon fell in love with Zeus. His Dad was a grey and white merle Great Dane and his Mom was a brindle. He has four siblings but he is the largest and has always been bigger than most pups. As Brittany says “He’s been a big dog since we got him, even for a puppy. He had huge paws.”
Even though Great Danes were historically used for protection, Zeus has a laid-back personality and enjoys strolls around his neighborhood. One of his favorite haunts is the local market where “Everyone knows him, and the vendors all know him. He gets extra treats and lots of attention.” He also likes making doggy friends of all sizes.
He shares his home with three miniature Australian Shepherds and a cat called Penelope. As Brittany says “He and the cat have a mutual agreement to stay away from each other.”
Zeus’ huge height gives him the opportunity to get into trouble. He steals the baby’s pacifier and food from the counters with no trouble. He’s so big he needs to use a sink as a water bowl and can get on top of the fence with the neighbors.
He also has a huge appetite and costs a lot to feed. He eats six cups of “Gentle Giants” large breed dog food twice a day but is also keen on fried eggs, bully sticks and ice cubes. It must be terrifying when such a large dog gets the zoomies! “When he gets the zoomies, he runs around for 30 seconds and jumps up on his chair once he gets tired.” says Brittany.
Unfortunately, large breeds like the Great Danes do have shorter life spans but so far Zeus has impressed the vet with how healthy he is. The tallest dog ever was a Great Dane who was also called Zeus and lived in Otsego, Michigan, USA. Sadly, he passed away at the age of five years. He could reach a staggering 7 ft 4 in when he was standing up on his hind legs!
Loads of people comment that Zeus is the tallest dog that they have ever seen and Brittany is pleased that this has now been confirmed. “This has been a whirlwind and unexpected. We never thought we would own the largest living dog.” She loves sharing how special Zeus is with other people and takes every opportunity to talk about him. He has brought his family so much joy and love. As Brittany puts it “There were just three of us and some small dogs, but it’s like having another person.”
