Two legendary-but-real canine specimens made the news in recent weeks, one living and one dead, both having achieved their 15 minutes of doggy fame by winning notice in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Gibson (left), a harlequin great Dane in Grass Valley, California, is currently the world's tallest dog, standing 7 feet tall on his hind legs. Hercules, a 282-pound English mastiff in Peabody, Massachussetts, cinched the record in 2001 for world's heaviest dog. Both animals will be featured in an upcoming British documentary.
The late, great Hercules also lives on as a different kind of legend -- the "urban" kind -- his name and reputation having been appropriated by Internet pranksters to lend faux credibility to a fabricated image (right) showing a Neapolitan mastiff almost as big as a horse.
Update: August 7, 2009 - World's Tallest Dog Gibson died of bone cancer after battling the disease for several months.
Read more about it:
• Gibson, the World's Tallest Dog - Official website
• California Canine to Star in Film About World's Tallest Dog - Associated Press
• Legend of World's Largest Dog Lives On - Salem News
• Hercules, Worlds Biggest Dog - Netlore Archive
Photo credits:
Top image (c) 2008 Guinness World Records
Bottom image source unknown, circulating via email
Comments
that is a big dog he is almost as big as me and im 7 foot 6 inches
imagine how fast that dog can probably run…
lmao prbbly close to the fastest dog @itsmeee
I saw a HUGE dog in a cigar bar (Al’s?) in Syracuse NY. It was the largest dog I have ever seen and when it stood it’s back was almost up to my chest (I am 5′6″). His head was enormous. It was big just like that dog. Anyone else out there remember that dog? It would have been around 1997-1999.
i this is fake not that mastiff he is the worlds biggest dog named hurlices you cant get one that size and great danes can grow big any way so that is true and think it nasty how she said people who belive its real to seek medical attetion right away we are not metal if we belive cuz it only true!
i was blevin thes foto is reel andis not fayke and how come said was fayke when tru my dog get big but killd by truck on hiway was 120pownds.
gibson is not a fake, i have a dog with the same bread of gibson in him and i think hes almost as big as gibson an hes only just turned 3!! and as for hurcles dont the guiness book of records have a way of verafying and checking these things out so if they say its real whos to say its not aswell.
I can read, can you guys? The Great Dane is for real, and Hercules is real, but the dog in the picture with the horse isn’t Hercules. Firstly, Hercules is an English mastiff, that dog is a Neapolitan mastiff. Second Hercules isn’t even that tall, he is simply extremely heavy.
Gibson passed away recently and the new tallest dog is Titan, a deaf rescued great dane.
there is a link to an article about titan, he is deaf, blind, and epileptic.