The world has lost a soft giant this week.
Freddy, the tallest dog in the world, died at the age of eight and a half, according to an announcement from Guinness World Records (GWR).
The Great Dane, from Essex, UK, awarded its title in 2016 for its massive height of 3 feet 4 inches from foot to hump. Standing on his hind legs, Freddy was 7 feet 5 and a half inches tall, the announcement read.
“He was not only the tallest dog, but also the dog with the most love and the biggest heart,” Freddy owner Claire Stoneman said in a statement.
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“He was my life,” Stoneman added. “My reason. My joy. My annoyance. My happiness and my ultimate sadness. He was my heart Dane. My one out of a million and loved among the whole world.”
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Stoneman had earlier told GWR that when he first got him as a puppy, he was the litter.
Freddy, the tallest dog in the world, died earlier this week, according to Guinness World Records. (Photo credit: Paul Michael Hughes / Guinness World Records)
“I had no idea he was going to grow up like that,” Stoneman said.
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GWR editor-in-chief Craig Glenday, who helped Freddy measure the record in 2016, calls the dog ‘such a gentle giant’.
The 8-and-a-half-year-old Great Dane was 3 feet 4 inches tall from foot to hump. (Photo credit: Paul Michael Hughes / Guinness World Records)
“It has always been a pleasure to see him border on you,” Glenday said in a statement.
“I can still hardly believe he was the junk,” Glenday added. ‘Freddy brought a smile to everyone’s face and will be missed [everyone] by Guinness World Records. I’m just glad we got the chance to celebrate his record breaking in the books and share his story with millions of people around the world. RIP, Freddy. ‘
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“I can not stop crying,” Stoneman told GWR. “He was my life.”
Guinness World Records ranked Freddy as the tallest dog in the world in 2016. (Photo credit: Paul Michael Hughes / Guinness World Records)