"He is not just the tallest Great Dane ever, he is the tallest breed ever. He is truly exceptional."

Great Dane Zeus measured an incredible 1.12m high

The world's tallest dog has been honoured as part of the Guinness World Records 60th anniversary.

The Great Dane, named Zeus, measured a whopping 1.12m from foot to withers - about the same size as average donkey. When he stood on his hind legs he was 2.24m - towering above his owner Denise Doorlag.

The humungous hound sadly passed away in September 2014, just two months shy of his sixth birthday.  He died from natural causes after having shown symptoms of old age for some time.

Zeus weighed 70.3kg and ate around 12 cups of food a day, which is equivalent to one whole 30-lb bag of food.

Speaking before Zeus' death in September, Denise Doorlag said: "Zeus is an awesome dog. The only downside is that everything costs more; the food, medicines, transport. We had to get a van to be able to transport him, oh, and if he steps on your food - he leaves bruises!"

Dr Karl Shuker, Animal Consultant at Guinness World Records, said: "He is not just the tallest Great Dane ever, he is the tallest breed ever. He is truly exceptional."

Zeus breaks the record of previous record breaking-pooch Giant George, who is 1-inch shorter, making Zeus the tallest dog ever recorded in history. 

Image (C) Guinness World Records