Guinness World Records says Titan, a white Great Dane from San Diego, is tallest dog on planet

Peggy Peattie, Associated Press - Ap

In this photo taken Aug. 21, 2009, Diana Taylor walks with her Great Dane, Titan, along Ocean Beach in San Diego.

By SUE MANNING , Associated Press

Last update: November 13, 2009 - 7:57 AM

LOS ANGELES - A dog named Titan lived up to his name Thursday when he earned the title world's tallest dog.

It was one of more than 30 records announced or set on Nov. 12 — the official Guinness World Record Day — but the only animal to be honored.

The 4-year-old white Great Dane from San Diego is blind, deaf, epileptic and undergoes acupuncture and chiropractic adjustments every three weeks, owner Diana Taylor said.

"Titan is magical," she added. "He's low-key, calm and has a wonderful demeanor about him. He gets along with all dogs, even the tiny ones."

The massive canine is often mistaken by young children for a horse or cow.

Titan's official height, as measured by a veterinarian, is a hair over 3 1/2 feet tall from floor to shoulder. You could add eight inches if official measurements included the head, Guinness spokesman Stuart Claxton said.

Titan weighs 190 pounds and doesn't stand on his hind legs because it isn't good for him. If he did, Taylor figures he would stand 80 or 82 inches tall.

Titan takes the title held by Gibson, a 7-year-old harlequin Great Dane from Grass Valley, who died earlier this year after battling bone cancer. He was actually slightly shorter than the new title holder.

Taylor was living in Atlanta when she adopted Titan as a puppy from the Middle Tennessee Great Dane Rescue. When he could see out of one eye, she taught him sign language. As he went blind, they learned to communicate by touch.

The dog joins the record books along with the world's largest gingerbread man in Norway, the biggest group hug in the U.K.; most nationalities in a sauna in Finland; and the world's longest paper clip chain in Mexico.

___

On the Net:

http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com

http://www.titanandfriends.com

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