AZ’s Giant George Is Tallest Dog Ever!

Our state is famous for having the tallest cactus in the world—the saguaro—but now it’s official: Arizona can CLAIM it has the tallest dog in the world, too!

After arguments were unleashed over measurements taken by veterinarians, Guinness World Records sent its own official judge to Tucson on Feb. 15. Guinness wanted to see how Giant George, a blue Great Dane, measured up to Titan, San Diego’s super-sized pooch,which won the “tallest dog” crown in November.

George is a real-life version of Clifford the Big Red Dog! The 4-year-old weighs in at 245 pounds. (How many times more does George weigh than you?) From nose to tail, he’s 7 feet 3 inches long, and he stands 43 inches from his massive front paw to his shoulder!

It’s his height at the shoulder that really gives George the world record, beating Titan by three-quarters of an inch. “We can indeed say now that George is the top dog,” announced Craig Glenday, who heads up Guinness World Records. Not only is George the tallest dog in the world, he’s also the tallest dog ever, according to Guinness.

David Nasser, who has owned George since puppyhood, says that his gentle giant eats over 100 pounds of dog food a month. Including treats, George’s food bill is about $300 a month!

How big is he? At his home, George has a queen-size bed all to himself. He likes to sit by plunking down his rear end on the couch while his front legs are straight on the floor. He also loves cruising around in a golf cart seated like that. And if Nasser lets him drink from the kitchen faucet, George has to bend down to reach it with his big ol’ floppy mouth!

George is also a big star. On Feb. 22, he appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” Flying to Chicago on American Airlines, George got all three seats in his row! Oprah rolled out the red carpet for the canine and his companion with a ride in a stretch limo, so he’d have enough leg room.

But the fight over who’s the tallest dog isn’t over yet. Titan’s owner, Diana Taylor, says that George was measured incorrectly and that something “fishy” is going on at Guinness. You can read her argument on the blog portion of TitanAndFriends.com.

George has his own Web site: GiantGeorge.com

Dramatic Olympic Games End on High Note

VANCOUVER, BC—After a very rough start, the 2010 Olympic Winter Games ended Feb. 28 with a sensational overtime hockey game followed by a dazzling closing ceremony. UNSEASONABLY warm weather had Vancouver scrambling to have enough snow and adequate ice for the outdoor events. The rain didn’t help either. And just before the opening ceremonies, luger Nodar Kumaritashvili from the small country of Georgia crashed and died during a practice run.

The 17 days of Olympic competition that followed had everything sports fans love—drama, emotion and athletes competing at the top of their games.

U.S. Olympians overachieved, taking home 37 medals: nine gold, 15 silver and 13 bronze. That’s the most medals ever won by a country during the Winter Games! Germany came in second in the medal count with 30: 10 gold, 13 silver and seven bronze.

The final event was hockey, with the undefeated U.S. team facing ARCHRIVAL and Olympic host Canada. With a gold medal on the line, Canadian superstar Sidney Crosby scored in sudden death overtime. Canada earned its 14th gold of the games, also a new record.

U.S. short track speed skater (and former Dancing with the Stars winner) Apolo Ohno returned for his third Olympics, winning a silver and two bronze medals. Ohno now has eight Olympic medals, a new American record for the Winter Games.