Giant George was a blue

Great Dane The Great Dane is a large sized dog breed originating from Germany. The Great Dane descends from hunting dogs from the Middle Ages used to hunt wild boar and deer, and as guardians of German nobility. It is one of the largest breeds in the world ...

previously recognised as the world's tallest living dog, and the tallest dog ever by

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

. There were originally conflicting media reports regarding his height, but the official measurement showed that he was three-quarters of an inch taller than the previous record holder, Titan (at at the

withers The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, it is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, cattle ar ...

) and an inch shorter than the subsequent record holder,

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

. His records were announced as he appeared on ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicag ...

'' in February 2010.

Biography

George was born on November 17, 2005, and was owned by David Nasser since George was 7 weeks old. While measured 42 5/8 inches high (108.3 cm) at the midpoint of the neck and wrongly advertised by Guinness as 43 inches (109.2 cm) at the withers, his legitimate height was 39 1/8 inches (99.4 cm) at the withers according to GPCA Illustrated Standard and he weighed , which is about more than an average

. At the time of his death, Giant George resided in

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. At home he slept in a queen-sized bed, and one of his hobbies was to ride around his family's neighborhood in a

golf cart A golf cart (alternatively known as a golf buggy or golf car) is a small motorized vehicle designed originally to carry two golfers and their golf clubs around a golf course with less effort than walking. Over time, variants were introduced t ...

. While traveling to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

for his 2010 appearance on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', George was given a row of three

airline seat An airline seat is a seat on an airliner in which passengers are accommodated for the duration of the journey. Such seats are usually arranged in rows running across the airplane's fuselage. A diagram of such seats in an aircraft is called an ...

s to himself. He caused a commotion with fellow passengers visiting him to take photographs. "There were so many people coming to the front of the plane, the pilot ended up illuminating the 'fasten seat belt' sign to get everyone to sit down," explained his owner, David. During the flight, George along with David and wife Christine had to sit in the bulkhead, the partition that divides first class from the rest of the passengers. They were to fly first class on

American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

, but they found that there wasn't enough room for George and instead flew the following day. George died on October 17, 2013.

Nomination

Conflicting reports were made of George's height, so a Guinness judge was sent to verify it.

Craig Glenday ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

, Editor-in-Chief of Guinness World Records explained, "This is a hotly contested record and after some controversy and conflicting media reports we decided to send our own official adjudicator to put the final stamp on this record holder." The measurement by

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...

Jim Boulay and witnessed by Guinness representative Jamie Panas showed that George was three-quarters of an inch larger than the previous record hold, another Great Dane, Titan. The records were announced by

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', br ...

on February 22, 2010 when George appeared on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show''. George had been awarded the titles secretly on February 15, 2010, with Oprah's producers asking all parties and media to keep the announcement quiet until after his appearance on the show. Inquiries had been made by the show for George to appear prior to him gaining the titles; however, his owner requested that they hold off their appearance until Guinness had reviewed his application. The announcement of the new record was used by Guinness World Records to publicize a variety of other pet-related record searches, including longest ears on a dog, smallest dog (length),

oldest dog This is a list of the oldest verified dogs in the world, listed by age, all of whom have attained the minimum age of 20. Aging in dogs depends on breed, size and diet. Longest living dogs verified by age See also * List of oldest cats * List ...

, smallest cat and oldest cat.

References

External links

* {{end Individual dogs 2005 animal births 2013 animal deaths Individual animals in the United States