A 6-year-old Great Dane named Atlas is set to be officially named the world’s tallest living dog by the Guinness Book Of World Records once the review process is complete.
The dog, who is owned by a family from Navarre, Florida, is 3 feet and 4.94 inches tall, or 104 centimeters tall from the paws to the withers. This is merely 0.2 inch taller than the height of the previous record holder, Freddie, who died in January 2021. Freddie, who was also a Great Dane, stood at 40.7 inches tall.
Big Dog Since Birth
The Seay family, who are the owners of Atlas, say that they knew that Atlas would be a big dog from the very first moment they saw him. The family bought the purebred Great Dane from a Missouri-based breeder. Atlas was born in a single-puppy litter, and even as a puppy, Atlas’ feet were so large he had trouble walking.
After the Seay family acquired Atlas, the dog continued growing bigger, and at some point, Spencer Seay, his human mom, stopped taking the dog out in public because the dog attracted so much attention due to his big size.
Despite being taller than the previous world record holder, Atlas is yet to be officially crowned as the world’s tallest dog due to the stringent review process before such a prestigious designation can be awarded.
Speaking to the press on Monday, April 12th, 2021, the Seay family reported that they have been in communication with Guinness officials for about three years now.
Some of the requirements, the Seays had to meet before the designation could be officially conferred, include recording videos of their dog running on flat surfaces and having the measurements of the dog taken by certified vets in front of live observing witnesses.
In addition, the vets who took Atlas’ measurements had to send copies of their licenses to Guinness offices in Europe, while the witnesses had to provide sworn and signed statements.
How Big Is Atlas?
To give some context into how big Atlas is, the dog is so big that the Seay family had to decline some houses while house hunting because the hallways weren’t large enough for their large dog to move through comfortably.
Moreover, the standard bandanas and collars do not fit him. All his wearables have to be tailor-made for him.
Atlas is so big that he can no longer fit in the family car comfortably. This means that whenever he needs a health checkup, the vet has to come to the Seay’s home, because they can’t take Atlas to the vet.
At 6 years, Atlas has already started getting affected by old age, and his movements have started becoming a bit clumsy. Still, the Seay family believe that Atlas is a phenomenal family dog, and are hoping the review process will be over soon so that their beloved dog can be crowned the world’s tallest living dog.
