Photo: Myfoxboston.com
With the passing of the beloved Gibson earlier this month, a new contender of for the title of “World’s Tallest Dog” has appeared.
Titan, a white Great Dane from San Diego, had his official measurements taken on Saturday, August 22, in his bid for assuming the title by the Guinness Book of World Records.
Gibson stood at 42.2 inches mark.
Last week Titan came in just over 42.375 inches at the shoulder.
It should be about a month before Titan's owner Diana Taylor receives confirmation that he's got the record.
Sources: Myfoxboston.com, WXOW.com, Signsonsandiego.com
Comments
Official dog height measurements are taken at the shoulder. This measurement was taken half-way up the dog's neck. It sure looks like the person taking the measurement had pre-set the height of the measuring tool, and the dog somewhat 'backed up' until the tool touched him, which was at a point half way up his neck. This would certainly add some inches. It would be extremely dissappointing if the Guinness people accepted this embellished measurement. It also appears Titan was wearing black 'shoes'. If so, if the witnesses did not check them, it is not verifiable whether they had padding. Hmmm...
Not So Sure, you're correct in what the media showed was a measurement high up on the neck. When Titan actually hit the mark everyone's bums were to the cameras. So, the more camera friendly version appeared all over the media. I didn't see the video until later and, like you, knew that was an inaccurate depiction of his achievement. So, I actually went to the trouble to stage another measurement event, following the Guinness guidelines to the letter & with the appropriate media present, to make sure there was no doubt. Although Titan measured higher than the 42.250 I was only trying to verify the measurement of the week before so we limited the 2nd attempt to that height. I'm happy to say that he nailed it more than seven consecutive times, giving us the video we needed to send to Guinness. Also, Titan is deaf and blind. He has trouble on slippery surfaces and wears his 'grip' booties, which were taken off for both measurements. Good eye on both counts. Thankfully, we played it fair!
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