Gentle giant: Great Dane in the US named Kevin recognised by Guinness as world’s tallest dog

Standing at almost 1m, a Great Dane in the United States has been crowned the world’s tallest living male dog.

According to the Guinness World Records, three-year-old Kevin measures 0.97m from his feet to his withers, which is the highest point of his shoulder blades. The average height of a male Great Dane is around 0.76m.

The previous record - at 1.046m - was held by another Great Dane, Zeus, who died in 2023 at the age of three.

Kevin lives with his owners, Tracy and Roger Wolfe, in West Des Moines, Iowa.

The couple have two children - Alexander, 12, and Ava, 10 - and a variety of other pets including three dogs, four cats, chickens, goats, and horses.

Mrs Wolfe, who works in a veterinary clinic, told the Guinness World Records that Kevin is a big baby who is often unaware of his own size.

“He tries to fit into small beds and sit on our laps like the smaller dogs,” she said.

The gentle giant was named after the protaganist, Kevin McCallister, in the classic film Home Alone, which is about an eight-year-old boy who gets left behind at home when his family goes to Paris for Christmas.

Kevin’s size often leads to people mistaking him for a horse, with some suggesting in jest that he could be saddled up and ridden. He attracts attention wherever he goes and enjoys being in the spotlight.

When the family first adopted Kevin as a puppy, they would marvel at how “he just keeps growing and growing”.

“We would say, ‘he’s the tallest dog I’ve ever seen’,” said Mrs Wolfe, adding that to have his height officially recognised by Guinness is “really exciting for the family”.

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