He May Be The World’s Tallest Dog Alive, But Zeus Still “Thinks He’s A Lap Dog.”

a two-photo collage. the first is a sample image of a guiness world record certificate recognizing zeus as the tallest dog living (male). the second is of zeus smiling as he stands outside in the city with a leash on.

Brittany Davis knew she was getting a big dog when her brother gifted her with a Great Dane puppy, but she had no idea she was adopting the world’s tallest dog!

Zeus was the biggest pup in his litter. Now that he’s a 2-and-a-half-year-old adult, he’s 3 feet and 5.18 inches tall. When he stands on his hind legs, he’s over 7 feet tall. He’s so large, in fact, that he was recently declared the tallest living male dog in the world by Guinness World Records.

“He’s been a big dog since we got him, even for a puppy,” Brittany said. “He had huge paws.”

In spite of his impressive size, Zeus is a gentle giant who wouldn’t hurt a fly. He lives in Bedford, Texas with Brittany, her husband, and their two kids. He also shares the house with three Australian shepherds. Sounds like a full house!

“Zeus requires one person to handle him,” she said. “He actually will stay right with you and he walks really well, but he’s human-sized. He’s huge. The Australian shepherds have a lot more energy. They’re faster; they’re zippy. They keep up with him OK, but they get tangled under his feet and then it’s chaos.”

Zeus is well known around the Dallas area, particularly at the Dallas Farmers Market. People either love him or are terrified of his size! Brittany says she constantly hears the same comments about her dog, especially, “Is he a horse?” and “Can I ride him?”

The answer to both questions is “no.”

“He’s not a horse,” she said. “He’s a dog. And he would not appreciate being ridden at all. Most people obviously say it jokingly, but it’s definitely something we hear multiple times every time we bring him out.”

Zeus is an easy-keeper, but he does require a lot of chow to keep that engine running. He eats a whopping 12 cups of dog food every day along with glucosamine supplements to protect his joints. He also helps “clean up” any messes Brittany’s youngest child makes, and he’s a known pacifier thief.

“He loves stealing the pacifiers off the counter,” Brittany laughed. “He won’t even chew them. He just puts them in his mouth and then when he gets in trouble, he spits them out.”

She added, “He has no idea how big he is. He thinks he’s a lap dog and can sit in your lap or lean on you and not knock you over. But I just love his personality. He’s a good boy.”

Brittany says the idea to submit Zeus to Guinness came when someone mentioned he was likely taller than the previous world’s tallest dog.

“We didn’t think that was even a possibility but once we measured him, we realized he probably was,” she said.

Ever since his victory was confirmed, it’s been a “whirlwind,” but the family is enjoying every second of Zeus’ newfound fame.

“We never thought we would own the largest living dog,” said Brittany. “That always shocks people and it’s fun to be able to say that.”

What a big, beautiful boy! We’d love to let Zeus sit in our lap… for a minute, anyway. That’s about as long as we could make it!

Don’t forget to share this story to congratulate Zeus and his family on setting a new world record.

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