Hercules - The Largest Pooch in The World
Over the past two odd decades, there have been many dogs which have been featured in the Guinness book of world records for their extremities. Leading the list of such hounds is Hercules, an English Mastiff, which was inducted in the Guinness book of world records back in 2001 for being the worlds biggest dog, weighing 282 pounds and having a 39 inch broad neck, back then. Hercules was three years of age at that time, and the story of its induction is a dramatic one indeed. Before moving on to some of the personal aspects associated with the worlds largest dog and its owners, we shall take a look at some of the other dogs which were included in the Guinness book due to similar reasons.
Kell, another English Mastiff is the heaviest dog. The reason why Kell didn’t get the title of being the worlds largest dog is that even though it weighed 286 pounds in 2001, its neck was 32 inches broad, which was a good 6 inches smaller that Hercules. Another English Mastiff named Zorba has been rendered immortal in the books and is by far the heaviest dog in the history of mankind. Weighed in 1989, Zorba was the worlds biggest dog back then, weighing 343 pounds. It was only after Zorba’s death that Hercules got inducted into the Guinness book in a rather strange way. It was on a day when a child in the neighborhood of Hercules was browsing to check for the heaviest dog in the world. He gave the idea to Hercules’ owners- Flynn and his wife Wendy, residing in Massachusetts back then. When Flynn filed an application for the record with the Guinness book of world records, it became clear that Hercules was apt to become the worlds biggest dog.
Coming back to Hercules, it is said that Hercules has paws that are the size of a softball. After getting up-close and personal with the owners of the worlds biggest dog, one can not stop adoring the gentle nature of this otherwise huge dog. He is huge, but is very well-behaved, explains Flynn, who himself happens to be a power-lifter and weighs more than 270 pounds. As a puppy, according to Flynn, Hercules was large, but they didn’t think that he would go on to become the worlds biggest dog. As far as diet is concerned, Flynn maintains categorically that he has never served Hercules with anything extraordinary and that Hercules’ size is totally natural. They have fed him what they would have otherwise fed any normal dog. The reason why Flynn got Hercules in the first place was because Wendy, his wife, wanted a dog that was larger than their already existing two year old dog, which was a Bull-Mastiff. According the Flynn, it was the playfulness of the puppy in Hercules that had got him excited and roaring to make Hercules a part of his family’s lives.
Hercules is a dog that enjoys the limelight. It was back then in 2001, when Hercules was adjudged as being the worlds biggest dog that Flynn came to know about the limelight-loving nature of his pooch. Hercules would go wagging to the interviewers and in front of the cameras, which made him a lovable animal. He was featured on many news and daily shows, and was even featured in a few commercial ads. Whatever it was, the worlds biggest dog was willing to try out new things, much to the surprise and approval of its owners. The Flynns themselves have two children, who were two and seven years old respectively back then, and according to the Flynns, Hercules got along really well with them. Later on, due to his loving nature, the world largest dog was doing shows and was booked for various birthday parties. He was also allowed to meet and get photos shot with children who came to see him from around the world.
Hercules, in true sense, stands as a testimony to the phrase- “the gentle giant”.
Over the past two odd decades, there have been many dogs which have been featured in the Guinness book of world records for their extremities. Leading the list of such hounds is Hercules, an English Mastiff, which was inducted in the Guinness book of world records back in 2001 for being the worlds biggest dog, weighing 282 pounds and having a 39 inch broad neck, back then. Hercules was three years of age at that time, and the story of its induction is a dramatic one indeed. Before moving on to some of the personal aspects associated with the worlds largest dog and its owners, we shall take a look at some of the other dogs which were included in the Guinness book due to similar reasons.
Kell, another English Mastiff is the heaviest dog. The reason why Kell didn’t get the title of being the worlds largest dog is that even though it weighed 286 pounds in 2001, its neck was 32 inches broad, which was a good 6 inches smaller that Hercules. Another English Mastiff named Zorba has been rendered immortal in the books and is by far the heaviest dog in the history of mankind. Weighed in 1989, Zorba was the worlds biggest dog back then, weighing 343 pounds. It was only after Zorba’s death that Hercules got inducted into the Guinness book in a rather strange way. It was on a day when a child in the neighborhood of Hercules was browsing to check for the heaviest dog in the world. He gave the idea to Hercules’ owners- Flynn and his wife Wendy, residing in Massachusetts back then. When Flynn filed an application for the record with the Guinness book of world records, it became clear that Hercules was apt to become the worlds biggest dog.
Coming back to Hercules, it is said that Hercules has paws that are the size of a softball. After getting up-close and personal with the owners of the worlds biggest dog, one can not stop adoring the gentle nature of this otherwise huge dog. He is huge, but is very well-behaved, explains Flynn, who himself happens to be a power-lifter and weighs more than 270 pounds. As a puppy, according to Flynn, Hercules was large, but they didn’t think that he would go on to become the worlds biggest dog. As far as diet is concerned, Flynn maintains categorically that he has never served Hercules with anything extraordinary and that Hercules’ size is totally natural. They have fed him what they would have otherwise fed any normal dog. The reason why Flynn got Hercules in the first place was because Wendy, his wife, wanted a dog that was larger than their already existing two year old dog, which was a Bull-Mastiff. According the Flynn, it was the playfulness of the puppy in Hercules that had got him excited and roaring to make Hercules a part of his family’s lives.
Hercules is a dog that enjoys the limelight. It was back then in 2001, when Hercules was adjudged as being the worlds biggest dog that Flynn came to know about the limelight-loving nature of his pooch. Hercules would go wagging to the interviewers and in front of the cameras, which made him a lovable animal. He was featured on many news and daily shows, and was even featured in a few commercial ads. Whatever it was, the worlds biggest dog was willing to try out new things, much to the surprise and approval of its owners. The Flynns themselves have two children, who were two and seven years old respectively back then, and according to the Flynns, Hercules got along really well with them. Later on, due to his loving nature, the world largest dog was doing shows and was booked for various birthday parties. He was also allowed to meet and get photos shot with children who came to see him from around the world.
Hercules, in true sense, stands as a testimony to the phrase- “the gentle giant”.
Source : http://www.worldsmostunique.com/worldsbiggestdog.html
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