Meet Kevin, The World’s Tallest Living Dog From West Des Moines, Iowa

Great Dane dogs are often called “gentle giants” due to their impressive size yet very friendly, loyal and soft behavior.

When Danes are standing on their legs, they are taller than most people, yet one named Kevin from West Des Moines, Iowa was recently recognized by the Guinness World Records as the tallest living dog of all.

More info: Guinness World Records

The 4-year-old Great Dane Kevin belongs to Tracy Wolfe, who lives on a farm in Iowa with her husband, two kids, three cats, four dogs and several chickens, goats and horses.

He’s not the first Great Dane for the family. A few years ago, they had one named Cora, yet at the age of 6 she passed away. This breed has a short life expectancy - only about 7 to 10 years.

After the painful loss, in 2019, Tracy came across an advertisement for new litters of Great Danes on social media and decided to see the puppies. The meeting eventually ended in taking Kevin home.

"The timing was just perfect for us," the woman said. "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."

"He was so friendly, he just ran up to us," Tracy shared, and that's how the family named the dog after Kevin McCallister, the main character from the movie Home Alone.

Tracy’s son Alexander has a particularly special bond with Kevin. “Alexander is Kevin’s person,” she said and added that it's her son who came up with the idea to reach out to the Guinness World Records.

Being still a puppy, Kevin didn't show any signs of becoming the tallest Great Dane, but by the time he reached 1 year, it was already clear to the family that their dog would be unusually tall.

“Kevin just kept growing up and growing up and growing up,” shared Tracy and mentioned that the average male from this breed is about 2 feet, 6 inches (76,2 cm) at the shoulder while Kevin now is 3 feet and 2 inches (96,52 cm) tall.

“They don’t know how big they are. They’re just the sweetest. Kevin is continuously trying to squeeze into small beds and sit on top of us and do everything that the smaller dogs do,” the woman said, also mentioning that her 'gentle giant' is afraid of thunderstorms, kittens and also got scared of the measuring tape that was used to take his height.

“He was always an anxious, nervous dog. The vacuum drives him crazy. He’ll jump from couch to couch,” Tracy added.

Unfortunately, Kevin passed away Wednesday morning from complications due to emergency surgery for a gastric problem. The family said that no matter how short Kevin's life was, it was truly meaningful and always surrounded by lots of love and joy.

Great Danes are considered the tallest dogs in the world. Therefore, it’s not a big surprise that the previous title also belonged to one of the same breed. The dog from Texas was named Zeus and was 3 feet and 5.18 inches tall.

No matter how huge and powerful these dogs are, they could also be described as the most gentle ones, and Kevin is a great example. Despite his short life, he left unforgettably warm memories not only in his family's hearts but also in all those who knew him.