Titan Is The World's Tallest Dog

On the official Guinness World Record Day, 12 November, a Great Dane named Titan earned the title of being the world's tallest dog.

Height and Weight

At a special party at a local doggie day spa, honoring Titan, his veterinarian measured his official height as being 42.25 inches from the floor to Titan's shoulder, which is just over 3 and a half feet. A spokesperson for Guinness World Records, Stuart Claxton, stated that if Titan's head was included in the measurements, an additional 8 inches would need to be added.

If Titan were to stand on his hind legs, which he doesn't because it is not good for him to do so, he would measure approximately 80 inches tall!

Titan currently weighs in at roughly 190 pounds.

The Record

Up until a few months ago, the title of World's Tallest Dog was held by Gibson, a harlequin Great Dane. Gibson measured 42.2 inches tall. Sadly, he passed away earlier this year after succumbing to bone cancer.

Titan is a white Great Dane from San Diego who is 4 years old. Remarkably, Titan is also deaf, blind, and has had epileptic fits.

Humble Beginnings

Titan was adopted by Diana Taylor when he was just a pup in Atlanta, from an organization called the Middle Tennessee Great Dane Rescue.

Apparently, some unscrupulous breeders attempt to misrepresent white Great Danes as being somewhat rare. However, once the new owners realize that their white pup is blind or deaf, they dump them at animal shelters, explains Ms. Taylor.

"They are not rare, they are an anomaly," said Ms.Taylor.

When Titan was still able to see out of one of his eyes, Ms. Taylor taught him sign language. Later, as his blindness progressed, the two of them learnt how to communicate with each other through touch.

"I stay close," Ms. Taylor explained, noting that Titan will still try to sniff out every friendly face.

Ms. Taylor went on to explain that Great Danes are 'built like giraffes one way and submarines the other', which leads to spine issues.

Which is why Titan has acupuncture and chiropractic adjustments every three weeks, explains Ms. Taylor. Titan has done quite well with his medication and treatments and has not had a seizure in over a year!

"Titan is magical," she added. "He's low-key, calm and has a wonderful demeanor about him. He gets along with all dogs, even the tiny ones."

Ms. Taylor describes Titan as being a 'gentle soul who befriends everyone during his daily walks on the beach'. Little kids have often mistaken Titan for a horse or cow!

Titan is not the only dog in Ms. Taylor's life: he has two siblings. Ari, another white Great Dane who is 5 years old and also deaf, and Diego, a German Shepherd who is 9 years old. Ari is 38 inches tall and weighs about 160 pounds; Diego on the other hand weighs 125 pounds.

Charity

Titan does therapy work with Ari, Diego and Ms. Taylor, as well as attending various charity events.

Ms. Taylor is hoping that Titan's new status will help educate people about Great Danes.

"Titan is magical," she added. "He's low-key, calm and has a wonderful demeanor about him. He gets along with all dogs, even the tiny ones... He's also great to travel with. We've gone across the country twice."

However, Ms. Taylor wants to help raise awareness of pets and their owners who are displaced from their homes during events of natural disaster. Most shelters do not allow pets, leaving owners to sleep outside with their pets instead. However, Ms. Taylor is hoping to advocate the use of converted shipping containers or train cars that can house at least 20 people and their pets. This way owners and their pets do not have to be separated if there is an earthquake, hurricane or fire.

Photo Credit: Just Chaos