Bedford residents might recognize Zeus, it's hard not to miss him at 3 feet, 5.18 inches tall, and now the Guinness World Records made it official declaring the American Great Dane the tallest living male dog in the world.
Zeus is Brittany Davis' 2-year-old grey and brown Great Dane. Brittany's brother, Garrett Davis, who knew she always wanted a Great Dane, had a friend who bred the breed. Garrett gave Brittany the largest puppy of the litter when he was 8 weeks old.
"He's been a big dog since we got him, even for a puppy," Brittany told Guinness. "He had huge paws."
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"We never thought we would own the largest living dog."
Zeus' human Brittany Davis
Zeus' massive stature means Brittany has to field some crazy questions when people first lay eyes on him.
"The comment that we hear most often is 'Wow, that's a horse!' 'Can I ride him?' or 'Does he have a saddle?'" she told Guinness. "The answer to all those questions is 'no.'"
Photos: Bedford Great Dane Zeus is Officially the World's Tallest Dog
HOW DO YOU FEED THE WORLD'S TALLEST DOG?
Brittany says anyone thinking about a large breed dog has to be ready for the food bill. Zeus eats six cups of food in the morning and six more in the afternoon.
By the way, Zeus' water bowl is the kitchen sink.
Zeus is a good boy, but his large stature means counter surfing is a major issue.
The colossal canine doesn't require too much exercise. Brittany says he runs and gets excited for about 10 minutes and gets tired.
Great Danes tend to have a shorter life span because of their size, but Brittany says Zeus is in good health.
And now when people say, "Wow, that's the tallest dog I've ever seen," Brittany says it'll be fun to say he's definitely the tallest dog anyone could see.
TALLEST DOG BEFORE ZEUS?
According to Guinness, the tallest male dog ever certified was — coincidentally — also a grey Great Dane named Zeus.
That Zeus, who came from Otsego, Michigan, was declared to be 44 inches (111.8 cm) tall from feet to withers, meaning he had about 3 inches on Bedford's Zeus.
He passed away at the age of 5 in 2014.
