Molosser Moment #19

Mastiffs are by definition big, but Zorba was the biggest of them all. In September 1987, the 6-year-old – formally known as Aicama Zorba of La Susa and owned by Chris Eraclides of London – entered the Guinness World Record book as the world’s heaviest and longest dog. Two years later, he beat his own record, weighing in 343 pounds, 35 inches at the withers, and 8¼ feet long. Though some wondered if Zorba’s size came from an endocrine disorder, there is no evidence of him being anything but a big’un.   

A few years after Zorba’s big accomplishment was verified, Guinness stopped accepting records for the largest or heaviest pet, presumably because it contravened its policy against awards “that could cause potential harm or endanger animals or spectators.” But the record-keeper does still maintain tabs on the tallest dog in the world: That honor most recently went to a reindeer-sized Great Dane named Zeus who was 44 inches tall – and a paltry 155 pounds.