Zeus, the World's tallest dog, a Great Dane from Otsego, Michigan, has died. The Guiness World Record holder died at age five and just two months shy of his sixth birthday. The giant died of old age.
The five year old Great Dane, roughly thirty five dog years, succumbed to old age on September 3, at his Michigan home with its owners. Zeus stood at an incredible 44 inches at the shoulder and an even stunning 7'4 inches on his hind legs. The dog was announced the tallest dog in the world by the Guiness Book of World Records in 2012. The former title holder was Giant George, also a Great Dane, who stood just one inch shorter than Zeus.
Zeus weighed in at 165 pounds and would devour a 30 pound bag of food every two weeks.
Despite his huge size, the canine was friendly, "laid back and gentle," according to its owner Denise Doorlag. The dog was very comfortable around people and even other animals. The dog was actually a certified therapy dog who visited sick people in hospital and children in schools.
"He'd sit on people's laps. I loved to see people's reactions when he'd sit down," Denise Doorlag said. Zeus seemed to want to "make people smile and happy and ... he was just a very sweet dog."
Doorlag's family got Zeus when he was just eight weeks old. The family got the dog from a couple that had a litter of puppies. They saw the dog and immediately fell in love with it. Kevin Doorlag, the owner, who works as a veterinary technician, said that he was surprised by how people reached out to Zeus. "I was surprised by how...many people's lives he touched when we're doing pet therapy," he said, "It was just very overwhelming and I love that about him."
Zeus had a Facebook fan page but it has since been brought down.
