An article in the NY Times about a Great Dane caught my attention yesterday. It was about George, the tallest dog in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records. The title was awarded to George just this month after some controversy involving another Great Dane from California.
We all know that Danes are big, but George really stretches that definition. The breed standard on the AKC site says that males must be at least 30 inches and females 28 inches measured at the shoulder. George measures an amazing 43 plus inches at the shoulder and is over 7 feet long from tip of nose to tip of tail. He weighs in at around 250 pounds and he eats like a small horse.
I've written about big dogs before.
Cedar the Mastiff has graced these pages often. Although Cedar is no longer with us, he was one big dog. He weighed about the same but I can't seem to fathom that he was at least 13 inches shorter than George. That's one Beagle shorter, if you can imagine that.
I must admit that I have a thing for big dogs. I like to be able hug my dogs like another person. Maybe it's because I've always loved wild wolves. Darcie, rest her soul, was a great dog, but she was more my Daughter's dog. Now,
Miles fits the definition of big dog just fine. He'd be a dwarf next to George the Dane.
Giant breed dogs like Danes and Mastiffs are in a league of their own. They mature more slowly than other dogs and they don't live as long as most other breeds. I wish we knew how tall George was at two years of age. That's supposed to be when these guys reach adult size. I would imagine that George just kept on growing. There are photos of him as a puppy on
his web site. He looks pretty big even then.
In one of the photos I noticed a bag of Purina ONE dog food. I would hope that it's the
Large Breed Adult formula. Large breed diets are formulated with extra glucosamine for healthy joints and fewer calories so these big guys don't get overweight. Hip dysplasia and a host of other bone and joint abnormalities can be a real problem for giant breed dogs and excessive weight is a contributing factor.
Danes can also be affected with cardiovascular genetic defects.
Dilated Cardiomyopathy is a particular problem for Danes. It appears to be passed on more commonly to male dogs from the mother. DCM causes the heart to enlarge and the heart muscle to weaken. The heart fails to function properly as a pump, under these circumstances.
All pure breed dogs have their own set of inherited genetic problems. Labrador Retrievers like Miles have over 100 known genetic problems. The list for the Dane is not that long. Like all breeds, Danes are dependent on breeders to be watchful for these conditions and to try to eliminate them through selective breeding.
George is only four. Let's hope he stays healthy and goes on to repeat as World's Tallest dog for some time to come.