George, the gentle giant Great Dane who reigned supreme as the Guinness World Record’s tallest dog in the world from 2010 to 2012, has died at the age of seven.
Owner Dave Nasser of Tucson, Ariz., took to Giant George’s popular Facebook page October 17 to share the sad news with George’s thousands of friends and fans.
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce Giant George died last night,” the Facebook post reads. “George passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones.”
At the time of his death, George was just one month shy of reaching his eighth birthday.
In life, Giant George was giant indeed. The famous Dane grew to be over seven feet long from nose to tail, measured a massive 43 inches tall from his paws to his shoulders, and tipped the scale at 245 pounds. The colossal canine curled up on a queen-sized bed every night and consumed 110 pounds of dog food every month. George was so huge that at one time he held not one but two Guinness records — Tallest Dog Ever and World’s Tallest Dog.
Guinness officials gave Oprah Winfrey the task of making George’s titles official when George and Nasser appeared on her talk show in 2010.
“When I take him to the dog park, I hear comments all the time: ‘Is this a pony? You need a saddle for that thing. Is that a horse?” Nasser told Winfrey during their interview. “I mean, if I had a nickel for every time somebody said that, I’d be rich.”
George held his records until 2012, when another gigantic Great Dane by the name of Zeus claimed the top title. But that didn’t seem to affect George’s popularity a bit.
He may be gone, but George lives on in the hearts of his global fan club. The pooch has also been immortalized in print; Giant George: Life with the World’s Biggest Dog, written with love by Nasser and friend Lynne Barrett-Lee, tells the humorous and sometimes poignant story of how the runt of the litter grew to be not only one of the world’s largest dogs ever, but the best friend a family could have ever asked for.
Nasser says he will never forget George or the people around the world who loved him.
“We appreciate the love and support you have given Giant George over the last several years,” his family writes on George’s Facebook page. “We look forward to honoring his spirit by continuing his charitable works. Your thoughts and prayers are much appreciated.”
Sources: Arizona Daily Star, Examiner.com, Giant George Facebook page, GiantGeorge.com
