Holy Cow! 7-Foot, 4-Inch Dog - World's Tallest Ever - Dies (Video)

Zeus, the world’s tallest dog, was a gentle giant, Denise Doorlag said in a Guinness World Record video. (Screenshot: YouTube video)

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Zeus, the world’s tallest dog, has died, apparently of symptoms of old age, his owners in western Michigan said. He was just two months shy of his sixth birthday.

Kevin and Denise Doorlag’s famous Great Dane stretched 7 feet, 4 inches tall when he stood on his back legs, weighed 155 pounds and measured 44 inches from the floor to the shoulder when standing on all fours.

Zeus secured the tallest dog title in 2012 and again in 2013 from Guinness World Records. He was not only the tallest dog living, but the tallest dog who ever lived.

The Doorlags, who live in Otsego, say Zeus as an enormous lap dog who liked to hang out with them on the deck of their Kalamazoo home while they were grilling. He was a “wonderful dog,” Kevin Doorlag told MLive/The Kalamazoo Gazette.

Zeus even had a job – spreading joy.

A therapy dog, he was well known around Kalamazoo among students at elementary schools and patients in hospitals.

“Those are some of the things I’ll never forget about him,” Kevin said. “He was definitely a great dog.”

When the Doorlags got Zeus as a puppy, they knew he would grow to be a large dog. Kevin suggested names like “Tiny” and “Peanut,” Diane said in a YouTube video.

Diane wanted something more dignified. She researched, and learned that Zeus, the great presiding deity of the universe and the ruler of heaven and earth, was a fitting name.In a announcing the dog’s fame,

Despite his powerful name, his personality was “laid-back” and gentle.”

He was such a beloved member of the family that they purchased a van and removed the back seats, because riding in a traditional vehicle was difficult for Zeus.