Zeus The Great Dane, World's Tallest Dog, Dies

By Krishnadev Calamur / NPR

Published September 12, 2014 at 9:50 AM PDT

This story was published more than 10 years ago.

Zeus drinks from the kitchen faucet in Otsego, Mich. The Great Dane, the world's tallest dog, died last week. He was 5.

Zeus, the world's tallest dog, is no more.

The Great Dane's owner, Kevin Doorlag, told the Kalamazoo Gazette that Zeus died last week of old age. He would have turned 6 in November.

Zeus, who lived in Otsego, Mich., was named the world's tallest dog by the Guinness World Records in 2012. Here's how the folks at Guinness described him:

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"Measuring an incredible 111.8 cm (44 in) from foot to withers, Zeus is the same size as an average donkey.

"Standing on hind legs, he stretches to 7 ft 4 in and towers over his owner Denise Doorlag.

"The humongous hound weighs 70.3 kg (155 pounds or 11 stone) and eats around 12 cups of food a day (equivalent to one whole 30-lb bag of food!)."

Doorlag described Zeus as a "wonderful dog."

"We'll really miss him," he said.

The newspaper adds: "He said he and his wife, Denise, will especially miss letting Zeus sit on their laps while the family would grill on their deck. ...

"In addition to his international fame, Zeus was well known throughout the Kalamazoo area due to frequent trips to area schools and hospitals, where he served as a therapy dog."