Zeus, world`s tallest ever dog, dies in Michigan at age 5

USPA News - Zeus, the Great Dane which was crowned the world`s tallest dog in recorded history by Guinness World Records, died of old age in the U.S. state of Michigan last week, his owner said on Thursday. He was five years old.

Kevin Doorlag told the Kalamazoo Gazette‎ that Zeus died last week of symptoms of old age, just two months before the Great Dane would have turned six. Due to their massive size, Great Danes have a relatively short life span, ranging between 7 and 10 years on average, though some have reached ages of up to 15 years. Measuring an incredible 111.8 centimeters (44 inches) from foot to withers, Zeus was the same size as an average donkey, according to Kevin Lynch of Guinness World Records. When standing on hind legs, Zeus stretched to 7 feet 4 inches (193 centimeters) tall, towering over his owners Kevin and Denise. The Great Dane was confirmed as the world`s tallest dog in recorded history in September 2012, breaking the previous record which belonged to pooch Giant George, which was 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) shorter than Zeus. "We`ll really miss him," Doorlag told the newspaper on Thursday, describing Zeus as a "wonderful dog." He said that he and his wife would especially miss letting Zeus sit on their laps while the family would grill on their deck. "Zeus was the gentlest giant you could ever wish to meet," said Guinness World Records picture editor Michael Whitty. "He had such a mild temperament that even the family cat ran rings around him! A fabulously loving and friendly dog who wouldn`t hurt a fly and loved having his photo taken. He will be greatly missed by his lovely owners and will live on in Guinness World Records history as the Tallest Dog we ever measured." When he was measured in 2012, the humongous hound weighed 70.3 kilograms (155 pounds) and ate around 12 cups of food every day. "Zeus has a very laid-back, gentle personality. He gets along very well with our other animals, and he gets along well with anybody that we meet. He`s very comfortable around people and is always very gentle," Denise said in 2012. "Things cost more for a large dog. We go through a lot of dog food. We had to get a van, really, for transporting him because he`s very uncomfortable in a regular seat of cars." Denise added: "He really likes to sleep on our bed. If he`s thirsty, he comes out and we turn on the water faucet in the kitchen for him, that`s where he likes to get his drinks from. And he loves to play. When we take him outside he can play with the dogs, and he enjoys walking too. To be able to say we own the world`s tallest dog is very exciting. The kids are just so excited about it and it`s just so cool."