All dogs are special in their own way, but one dog literally stood above all the rest: at 3 feet and 5.18 inches, Zeus the Great Dane held the record for the tallest dog in the world.
But sadly, Zeus has died, following complications from a leg amputation surgery.
Zeus made headlines in 2022, when the gentle giant set the Guinness World Record for the tallest dog in the world.
“He’s been a big dog since we got him, even for a puppy. He had huge paws,” owner Brittany Davis, from Bedford, Texas, told Guinness World Records at the time.
She said Zeus would always wow people with his unusual size, and was often compared to a horse. Setting the record made it official: “We get a lot of comments like ‘Wow, that’s the tallest dog I’ve ever seen’, so it’s cool to now be able to say ‘Yes, it’s definitely the tallest dog you’ve ever seen!’”
The owner said that Zeus enjoyed eating snacks (his favorite were ice cubes), jumping over the fence to meet other dogs, and stealing food from their counters. She also said that despite his size, Zeus was a gentle dog, especially with her baby.
After more than a year of enjoying his celebrity status as a world record holder, Zeus’ health took a sad turn: he was diagnosed with bone cancer in his front leg. On September 7, he underwent surgery to have the leg amputated.
The owners hoped the surgery would ease his pain and buy Zeus some more time: “He’s hurting now,” Brittany told WFAA. “We don’t want him to hurt. We don’t want him to be in pain. I want him to be as healthy as he can be. Mostly, I want him to be pain free and enjoy what time we have left.”
She set up a GoFundMe page to pay for the surgery. But sadly, things only took another heartbreaking turn: after the surgery, Zeus developed amputation-related pneumonia.
Today, Brittany and her family announced that Zeus had passed away. “Our baby boy is gone. Our hearts are broken,” Brittany wrote on GoFundMe. “He had the absolute best doctors who sat of the floor and cried with us. He fought hard but the pneumonia was just too much. He is not in pain anymore. He is resting peacefully.”
“Zeus died with his head in his Mom’s lap getting ear scratches and kisses until the very end. He was 3 1/2 years old,” the family wrote in a statement to WFAA.
“We are so grateful for the time we had with Zeus. He brought us so much joy and happiness to so many people. He will be deeply missed by our entire family. We are so thankful for the amazing team of humans who have been with us through this. Zeus had the absolute best doctors and nurses working around the clock to help him, but in the end, he was just too sick. We would also like to thank everyone who has reached out to us with their condolences. It means a lot to us during this difficult time.”
“We know that Zeus is in a better place now, running free and eating the good stuff off of the countertops in Heaven. We will never forget him. Goodbye Zeusy, We Love you! Cancer Sucks!”
Rest in peace, Zeus — truly a special, one-of-a-kind dog, who always kept his head up high ❤️ Our hearts go out to Zeus’ family during this difficult time.
Please share this story in memory of Zeus.
Unadoptable ‘Ugly’ Dog Desperately Waits For A Family Behind Kennel Doors
The famous quote, “A dog is a man’s best friend”, has proven itself to be true so many times, yet humans still act cruelly towards these wonderful creatures.
Many people who call themselves dog lovers judge puppies based on their looks, especially if they’re looking to adopt one from a shelter.
That’s exactly why Dutchess, a sweet doggo with a heart of gold, desperately waited for her new family behind kennel doors, and was left disappointed every time people just passed by her without giving her the slightest chance to prove she’s worthy of love and affection.
A Waggy Tail Desperately Waiting For A Fairytale
A shelter dog named Dutchess became one of the favorite pooches in the Orange County Animal Services (OCAS) because of her playful nature and positive energy.
However, that didn’t seem to be enough for her to get adopted by people who come to OCAS for a new pet, as the only thing they could see were the cysts under both of her eyes.
As the members of the organization wrote in a Facebook post, no one would even look at Dutchess, let alone ask to bring her home.
Those who would care enough to stop by her kennel were only there to make inappropriate comments and questions, such as:
“She looks so ugly.”
“What’s wrong with her?”
“She’ll never get adopted.”
Fortunately, Dutchess doesn’t understand human language, so these comments didn’t bother her at all. Instead, she was still immensely optimistic every time she saw a new face coming into the shelter, thinking that it was finally her day to go to a forever home.
Although OCAS didn’t manage to find her a new home, Dutchess was on the road with Rescue Dogs Dream, Inc. (RDD) who saw her story and couldn’t stand her being left in the shelter for yet another day.
Foster Paradise
The smile on Dutchess’ face was enough to show how much she enjoyed the time she spent at the foster home.
Her foster parent did everything she could to make Dutchess’ stay as pleasant as possible, and the doggo, as well as the RDD, were more than thankful.
The RDD welcomed the doggo with a Facebook post, where they also shared all updates regarding Dutchess:
“We want to thank Chris Murphy for transporting to us, and Beth Lord for fostering her. She is doing great, and is so happy to be FREE. She scarfed down a McDonald’s cheeseburger and is making herself right at home.”
A Cute Duckling Turns Into A Beautiful Swan
Although Dutchess was already an adorable dog even with pom poms under her eyes, a vet surgeon decided it would be best for her health to remove the cysts and make her feel more comfortable.
Great news came in while they were waiting for the surgery – Dutchess found her forever home, or better to say… home found her.
More than ten applications arrived regarding the adoption of Dutchess, which was a pleasant surprise for the staff of the RDD. It wasn’t difficult to find the perfect family for this adorable doggo, as they mentioned in the update post:
“We can now announce we have found her PERFECT fit!! She will have a new Mom and Dad that treat their pups like kids. Dad works from home. They recently lost one of their fur babies, and had been looking for the right fit.”
The surgery went well, and Dutchess recovered in a couple of days while being surrounded by her new family who gave her all the love and affection she needed.
Dutchess Turns Into Queen Lena
Dutchess’ new owners decided to change her name to Lena, and considering how well she was doing, it seems like she was promoted from duchess to queen.
She’s enjoying her life to the fullest with a loving family and a furry brother.
Lena is a miracle to her parents as well. They lost one pup just before meeting Lena, so she has been a true blessing for them.
According to the latest update, Lena is doing just fine. She gets along well with the other dog, and is quite successful in dog training:
“She graduated from a level one doggie training class and is signed up for level two and then a good canine citizen class. She’s so sweet, just loves to play and be around us all the time.”
Lena’s story had a happy ending, but there are still lots of dogs in shelters that are waiting for their fairy tale.
For the end, I’d like to share a part of the OCAS post – something that we all, as dog lovers, should think about:
“So, come to the shelter with an open heart. Look inside every kennel. Look for Dutchess. Look for the ones no one wants. That’s how you save a life. That’s how you make a difference. That’s how you change the world for one.”
