R.I.P. Gibson, the world's tallest dog

First it was Gidget the Taco Bell dog -- now this. It is with great sadness that we report the death of Gibson, the world's tallest dog. Gibson, a harlequin Great Dane, was euthanized late last week after a battle with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer that strikes dogs and cats as well as humans.

A tumor was found in Gibson's right front paw in April, but his entire leg was amputated in an attempt to keep the cancer from spreading. He also underwent chemotherapy. At first the treatment seemed to have been successful, and Gibson's owner, Grass Valley, Calif., resident Sandy Hall, planned to continue his work as a therapy dog. (Even after losing his leg, Hall maintained that Gibson retained his full height of 42.2 inches and remained the world's largest dog.)

But last week, it became apparent that the cancer had spread to Gibson's lungs and spine, and Hall made that awful decision -- every pet owner who's made it carries the memory like a scar -- to have the dog put down. Gibson was 7 years old.

Hall "made the very difficult decision based on her concern and love for Gibson to have him humanely euthanized," said Gibson's veterinarian, Dr. Peter Walsh, adding that the giant dog "died peacefully in the loving arms of Ms. Hall." 

Gibson performed the role of spokesdog for an artificial turf company, Forever Lawn, which announced in a statement that it had tapped Gibson's son, Brewster, to be his successor. Forever Lawn also plans to sponsor a canine cancer awareness tour featuring Hall and Brewster. 

But Pet Connection notes that raising awareness for canine cancer is rather an odd mission for Brewster to undertake, given Great Danes' predisposition to the form of cancer that brought about his father's death. With that in mind, Pet Connection blogger Gina Spadafori continues, "I hope his owner will consider more than world records in determining Brewster’s future as a dad. Maybe breeding more giant-giant Danes is not such a good idea."

RELATED:
Gibson, world's tallest dog, loses leg to cancer
Teacup dogs vie for 'World's Smallest Dog' title

-- Lindsay Barnett

Video: kcratv via YouTube

Comments

[Jennifer Fearing]

Having met Gibson once, I was sad to hear about his passing.

We met when I was protesting with a dozen other dog lovers outside the Petland store in Roseville, CA earlier this year. Gibson was there with his owner appearing at a “Come meet the world’s tallest dog” promotional event put on by the store. We were all disappointed to see a celebrity dog used to encourage foot traffic in a store that sells dogs from puppy mills.

Let’s hope Brewster doesn’t follow suit.

For more information, check out: StopPuppyMills.org.

[Sarah]

I was so sad to hear of this story, what a beautiful dog. It must have been really difficult for Sandy to lose such a gem. Jennifer you're lucky to have met him!

[Beth]

I am also so sad to learn of Gibson's passing. He was a great representative of the Great Dane breed, as well as being a wonderful, sweet, gentle, loving dog in his own right. He was of course also very handsome. I have a Harlequin Great Dane, Beasley, who looks a bit like Gibson did, but is not quite as tall. Almost, but not quite. Beasley is a rescue. He was given up as a puppy by his breeder when it was discovered he was deaf, and we were lucky enough to find him. He is also sweet and gentle, but he will never be able to learn to say, "I love you", the way Gibson could. I also have two other much smaller dogs who were rescued from a puppy mill. They were horribly abused and it is heartbreaking, although they are recovering very well. I understand the outrage against puppy mills. At the same time, I think that Gibson's public appearances were actually a good thing, because they promoted awareness that giant dogs are gentle, not fierce. I have always had giant breed dogs, and it amazes me that people have such strongly unpleasant reactions to them because the people think they are either fierce or fighters or guard dogs. So while I detest puppy mills, I applaud Gibson and Sandy for being such good ambassadors of good will.Also, having recently experienced the passing of my other dog, Bob, who was also a rescue, and whom we had for many years, I know how absolutely sad and devastating it can be to lose such a beloved companion and family member. My thoughts are with Sandy and the rest of Gibson's family.R.I.P., Gibson!