A record-breaking dog from Iowa, who Guinness World Records recently announced was the tallest dog in the world, has died.
Kevin, a three-year-old Great Dane from West Des Moines who stood seven feet tall when on his hind legs, died earlier this week after becoming suddenly ill.
Tracy Wolfe, the male dog’s owner, was among the first to break the news about Kevin’s unexpected death.
‘Our whole family is devastated about Kevin. He was just the best giant boy,’ she told Guinness World Records this week.
‘We are so glad that he was able to break the record and have that light on him.’
Kevin, a three-year-old Great Dane from West Des Moines, Iowa, died earlier this week after suddenly becoming ill, according to his owners, the Wolfe family
‘We are deeply saddened to learn that Kevin suddenly passed away after unexpected health complications,’ said a spokesperson for the Guinness World Records.
‘Tracy and the team at the vet clinic she works in did everything they could to save Kevin after he became ill. Our thoughts and support are with the Wolfe family as they navigate this difficult time.’
The Wolfes were proud of all that Kevin managed to accomplish before his death.
‘He absolutely loved the attention,’ the Wolfe’s statement said.
‘I wish these giant breeds, and all dogs, could live longer than they do. It’s never enough time.’
The Wolfe’s confirmed in a statement to Guinness World Records earlier this week that Kevin suddenly became ill and passed away during surgery
The Wolfes were proud of what Kevin managed to accomplish before his death
The Wolfe family adopted the three-foot, two-inch Great Dane, who named him Kevin after a famous film line.
‘When we got him, he’d been watching Home Alone,’ Tracy said in a Guinness World Records video posted on June 13.
She added that the family kept yelling the Home Alone line, ‘Look what you did Kevin,’ which ultimately stuck.
Before his death, Kevin enjoyed spending time with Tracy, along with her husband, Roger, and their children, Alexander, 12, and Ava, 10.
When Kevin wasn’t playing with his owners, he was likely taking naps or as Tracy said, ‘holding the couch down.’
Tracy described Kevin as ‘funny’ and ‘overly friendly’ and that everybody loved seeing him as long as they didn’t get ‘whipped by his tail.’
The owner revealed that Kevin’s bad behavior would usually be related to food but that he was a ‘pretty good kid.’
The Wolfe family adopted the three-foot, two-inch Great Dane, who named him Kevin after a famous line from the movie Home Alone
During the video, Kevin, who had the average height of a three-year-old boy when on all four legs, was nearly as big as a miniature horse.
‘Whatever he does, he doesn’t put on a lot of weight. He still stays really thin, but he does eat anywhere from six to 10 cups a day of food,’ Wolfe said in the June 13 video.
Despite Kevin towering over most animals, he still acted friendly toward smaller animals, including cats.
Tracy revealed that Kevin was always gentle with small dogs and that he occasionally chased cats around the house.
She added that Kevin loved the kids and seemingly enjoyed that Alexandra and Ava were ‘exactly his height.’
Alexander, who Tracy said trained Kevin and took him to obedient classes, showed off his skills with the late Great Dane during the video.
The Wolfe family may not have been surprised by his record-breaking height since they noticed his rapid growth over the years.
Kevin was the average height of a three-year-old boy who enjoyed playing with Alexander Wolfe, 12, and Ava Wolfe, 10
Alexander had trained Kevin and would participate in obedience classes with him. He showed off his enthusiasm in a June 13 video posted by Guinness World Records
‘As a puppy, we just kept thinking “He just keeps growing” and we would say, “He’s the tallest dog I’ve ever seen,”‘ said Tracy.
That was proven to be the case less than three months ago after Kevin was verified as the world’s tallest dog on March 20.
Kevin claimed the title of world’s tallest dog from Zeus, a Great Dane who died after contracting pneumonia during his cancer battle in 2023.
Like the Iate Iowa Great Dane, Zeus was three years old when he died.
Zeus was 3 feet, 5 inches prior to his death, and would tower over his owners in Texas when he stood on his hind legs.
Kevin’s passing now means that Guinness World Records will need to figure out which canine is currently the tallest dog in the world.
Daily Mail has reached out to Guinness World Records for comment.