Measuring 7ft 3in nose-to-tail and weighing in at 17st, Giant George is declared the world's tallest dog



This huge hound officially entered the record books today as the world's tallest dog - standing more than seven foot on its hind legs.

'Giant' George claimed the prestigious title after Guinness Records officials measured him up at 43 inches from paw to shoulder, or 7ft 3in when 'standing' on his back legs.

The four-year-old great dane weighs a staggering 17.5 stone and consumes 110lb of food each week.

Owner Christine Nasser and George, a great dane from Tucson, Arizona, who has been declared the world's tallest dog

He even sleeps in his own queen-size bed.

His owner David Nasser, of Tucson, Arizona, is thrilled George has topped previous holder Titan, a four-year-old great dane from San Diego, who is 0.75 of an inch shorter than George.

Before Titan, the record was held by another Great Dane, Gibson, of Grass Valley, California, who stood at 42.2 inches tall.

Craig Glenday, editor-in-chief of Guinness World Records, said that the adjudicator was sent after controversy over conflicting media accounts of the tallest dog.

He said: 'We can indeed say now that George is the top dog.'

A few days after he was declared a record-breaker, Giant George appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show.

Here, Mr Nasser recounts the whole experience.

David Nasser with George: His fans can follow him on Facebook and on Twitter

He said: 'Oprah's staff learned about Giant George thorough FaceBook and YouTube and were were insistant on having him as a feature on this show; regardless of the Guinness World Record.

'As fate would have it, the timing with Guinness World Records and the Oprah Show came together flawlessley.

'On Monday, February 15, the Guinness representative came to Tucson and conducted the official measurement.

'Triumphantly, Giant George earned the Guinness World Records for "Tallest Dog Ever," and "Tallest Living Dog."

'We then began coordinating the logistics of transporting a 43ins and 17.3 stone dog to Chicago.

'After much deliberation and discussion, American Airlines soffered to fly Giant George to Chicago.

'He would not fit in a first-class row, so he got three of his own seats at the bulk-head...This meant that Giant George would be in the fuselage, like a regular passenger.



Mr Nasser shows off the award that declares Giant George is indeed the world's tallest dog

'Needless to say, this was cause for much commotion on the flight.

'Throughout, many of the other passengers came up to take photos and pet him...he was a total Rock Star!.

'There were so many people coming to the front of the plane, the pilot ended up illuminating the "fasten seat-belt" sign to get everyone to sit down.



Mr Nasser with George on the beach when the great dane was just a puppy... albeit a really big puppy

'When we arrived in Chicago, we were shocked by the number of people who were wating for us in the arrival area at the airport.

'With flashing cameras and video rolling, more than one-hundred people saw Giant George strike a pose as though he was on a red carpet. Needless to say, they ate it up.

'A limo whisked us to the Governor's Suite of the Omni Hotel.

'It happened to be snowing in Chicago that day, and Giant George had never seen snow before.

'In the suite, he had his own twin-size mattress on the floor and slep off the jet-lag.

'The next day was showtime on Oprah.

'The limo took us to Harpo Studios promply at 8:30 where Giant George had his own "green room" complete with very soft bedding on the ground for him to lay down.

'There was a sign on the door that read "Unless you are part of Team Giant George, please don't ask to see him until taping is over."

'However, the sign didn't work so well; we were told that Giant George was more popular among the staff than many A-list super-stars who had appeared on Oprah in the past.

'Everyone wanted to see Giant George, and he was happy to see them all.

'Everyone on Oprah's staff was so nice, warm and friendly. What a great group of people that work for the Oprah show!

'Finally, it was time for Giant George to go out on stage and have Oprah announce his Guinness World Records for Tallest Dog Ever and Tallest Living Dog.



'Without question, this was one of the most memorable moments for all of us. Oprah was super friendly and the segment was trouble free.

'Next was getting back to the airport for the return flight. American Airlines took Giant George to a private suite to relax before the big flight.

'When Giant George began the four legged walk to the gate, once again, there were more than one-hundred people waiting to take photos of Giant George; It was surreal to see all the people wanting to get a glimpse of Giant George.'

Gentle giant: George towers above ordinary dogs in a park near his Tucson home

Tall tale: George was given a row of three seats for his flight to Chicago, where he appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show