The BlogPetsslidepollajaxbig dogs

The Crazy World of Giant Dogs

There's dog craziness, and then there's Giant Dog Craziness, the culture and cult of giant, tremendous, enormous -- 100 pounds and up -- dogs.
By 

Novelist, author, Nameberry co-creator

Novelist, author, Nameberry co-creator
|
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

There's dog craziness, and then there's Giant Dog Craziness, the culture and cult of giant, tremendous, enormous -- 100 pounds and up -- dogs.

Giant dogs eat special foods in greater quantities, sleep in special super-sized beds, require bigger, tougher toys along with more powerful harnesses.

They're also gentler than many other breeds, subject to more joint problems, and sadly, tend to die at a much younger age -- 6 to 10 years.

The biggest dog in the world is actually two dogs, one who's the tallest and another who is the heaviest. How big are they? Find out ahead but hint: They can definitely take you.

Also here are dogs that tower over shopping centers, squeeze into houses, lick the top of refrigerators, and get terrorized by smaller, fiercer dogs. Plus, the ginormous dog poop that got away.

The World's Biggest Dogs
The World's Tallest Dog(01 of10)
Open Image Modal
Giant George, the Guinness World Record holder for tallest dog at 43 inches, has his own website and book along with 139,000 Facebook fans. The Great Dane sleeps alone on a queen-sized bed, eats 110 pounds of food a month, and has appeared on Oprah.
The World's Heaviest Dog(02 of10)
Open Image Modal
Hercules, an English Mastiff, holds the title of World's Heaviest Dog at 282 pounds with a 38 inch neck. But Hercules, who lives in Massachusetts, is not the heaviest dog ever: That title belongs to Zorba, another English Mastiff who weighed 343 pounds and measured 8 feet, 3 inches from nose to tail.
Giant Dog Fantasy Art(03 of10)
Open Image Modal
Big Red Ice Cream Dog, fashioned from fibreglass and car paint, is one of the giant dog public sculptures fashioned by Australian husband and wife artists Gillie and Marc Schattner. Gillie and Marc's work, which frequently features dogs, is installed in public spaces including hotels, zoos, parks, and shopping centers around the world.
Dancing with the Giant Dogs(04 of10)
Open Image Modal
Most celebrities prefer being photographed with dogs who aren't big enough to upstage them -- or knock them over. Not silent film star Harold Lloyd, though, pictured here on the beach in the arms of a vintage-style giant dog, from the wonderful blog My Love of Old Hollywood.
Big Dog in the City(05 of10)
Open Image Modal
Owning a big dog in the city can take over your life. How can you afford a large enough apartment? Where can you take him for exercise? The wonderful illustrator Mark Todd captured the idea of big dog dominance over city life for a story in Bark Magazine.
You Know Your Dog Is Really Big When...(06 of10)
Open Image Modal
....he can lick the dust off the top of your refrigerator. Big dogs tend to pose their own special ownership challenges. Looking to adopt a big dog? While they can be the gentlest of breeds, they also may need to have everything from their food to their leashes fashioned just for them.
Big Dog Hoaxes(07 of10)
Open Image Modal
There are lots of hoax photos of big dogs, from the one above who's outgrown his house to others that pretend to be real but are just a regular picture with the dog supersized and photoshopped in. For a rundown of dog hoaxes through history, from the egg-laying dog of Vienna to the talking dogs of Hitler, check out the online Museum of Hoaxes.
Problems of a Giant Dog Dad(08 of10)
Open Image Modal
The sign at the foot of this escalator says "Dogs Must Be Carried," and this owner is obviously trying to obey....and not succeeding. Giant dogs are often defined as starting at 100 pounds. Although Great Danes are the best-known giant breed, others include Kengal Dogs, Scottish Deerhounds, and Akbash Dogs. Photo from the blog Epic-Fun.
Come On, Hit Me....(09 of10)
Open Image Modal
Giant dogs are among the most gentle and least aggressive breeds. The most aggressive? Dachshunds, according to one recent study, along with Dalmatians, Cocker Spaniels, Terriers, and the dreaded Chihuahua. Small dogs will often attack larger dogs, as in this photo by the amazing Trish Aleve of Pawsome Pet Photography, who took one of my favorite photos in Rabid.
Giant Dog Hazards(10 of10)
Open Image Modal
When you've got a giant dog, you end up with, that's right, giant dog poop, which can be as dangerous as it is disgusting. This giant inflatable dog poop sculpture by Paul McCarthy, titled Complex Sh*t, broke free of its moorings at a Switzerland museum, brought down a power line, and tumbled 200 yards before settling on the grounds of a children's home -- doubtless to general hilarity.
Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip