Kevin the Great Dane verified as tallest living dog: "He's a gentle giant" (2024)

Kevin may be the world’s tallest living male dog but that doesn’t mean he’s big enough to be left Home Alone…

And yes, that is where his name comes from.

The Great Dane has claimed the record title after measuring in at 0.97 m (3 ft 2 in) from his feet to his withers.

That’s the average height of a three-year-old child.

And the average male Great Dane is around 0.76 m (2 ft 6 in) to the withers.

He has succeeded his fellow Great Dane Zeus, who tragically died at the age of three last year.

Kevin lives in West Des Moines, Iowa, USA, with his loving owners Tracy and Roger Wolfe and their kids Alexander, 12, and Ava, 10, as well as his many animal siblings – three dogs and four cats, as well as chickens, goats, and horses.

The three-year-old pooch is the ultimate example of a “gentle giant”.

He loves nothing more than snoozing on the couch, and will even tattle to his mom if someone is sitting in his favourite spot.

He’s a big fan of snuggles, but the vacuum cleaner is the scariest thing he’s ever seen.

Even measuring him for his official record attempt proved tricky as poor Kevin got spooked by the measuring tape.

“Kevin is the epitome of gentle giant,” Tracy told us. “ In fact, he is scared of most things.

“He is terrified of the vacuum. He won't let it come within 6 ft of him! He will jump and run to get away from it.”

And Kevin was so scared when Alexander took him along to his first training class at youth organization 4-H that he quite literally pooped himself… right in the middle of class. He loves going now, though!

Tracy, who works at a veterinary clinic, says Kevin is a “big baby” and often acts like he has no idea how big he is. That is, unless, being small doesn’t suit him in the moment.

She said: “When Kevin, or any of my dogs, come to my clinic, I put a baby gate up in the door of my office. That way I can keep my door open, but keep the dogs in.

Kevin is hilarious. He will be in there and stay whenever I am in there. However, if I leave, he just steps right over the baby gate like it's nothing!

She added: “I don’t think he’s aware he is as big as he is. He’s continuously trying to squeeze into small beds and sit on top of us, and do everything that the smaller dogs do.”

Kevin is very particular about his relaxation.

Tracy explained: “He doesn't love to actually sit. He will either stand or he will lay down. I think his legs are too long.

“He will also back his rear end up and sit his back end on my lap. He can then keep his front feet on the ground in front of him.”

Tracy and her family brought Kevin home after they lost their beloved Great Dane, Cora.

“He reminded me so much of Cora,” Tracy confessed. “Both were black mantle Danes. My husband and I didn't tell the kids, but picked them up and went to see him.

He immediately came bounding to us, and we knew he was ours. He was so friendly, right from the start.

"The timing was just perfect for us. I wouldn't have looked at getting a Great Dane for a while, after losing our previous. But the kids were little, and I thought a puppy would be great for them.”

And he has been the perfect addition to the family, striking up a particularly close bond with Alexander, who he spends most of his time hanging out with.

Kevin eats between six and 10 cups of food every day and maintains his svelte figure despite being quite a lazy boy.

Tracy quipped: “Kevin’s favourite activity is probably taking naps. Holding the couch down is his favourite pastime, I think.

“Kevin is funny and he is super duper friendly. In fact, overly friendly. You don’t want to keep your mouth open too much when he’s around...

But everybody loves seeing him as long as they don’t get whipped by his tail.

Of course, he has his naughty side too, like stealing food off the kitchen counters.

“Kevin can be stubborn,” Tracy said. “He can be naughty. It’s usually food related. Otherwise he’s usually a pretty good kid.”

The family members are often asked whether Kevin is actually a horse, and Tracy says people even suggest they could saddle him up and ride him.

He gets lots of attention wherever he goes, and he definitely enjoys being in the limelight.

Tracy said: “To officially have Kevin as the world’s tallest dog is really exciting for our family.

“It’s funny because as a puppy, we just kept thinking, ‘He just keeps growing and growing.’

“‘He’s the tallest dog I’ve ever seen’, and to actually have that distinction is really exciting for the family.”