Man’s Best Friend

“And she said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table’.” [Matthew 15:27]

Man’s best friend comes in all shapes and sizes. And some of the sizes are simply amazing! For instance, the world’s heaviest as well as longest dog ever recorded was an English Mastiff named Zorba. In 1989, Zorba weighed 343 pounds. He stood 37 inches at the shoulder and was 8 feet, 3 inches long from nose to tail! Zorba is now deceased, but was eight years old when he set this world record.

The smallest dog in the world, in terms of length, is a female Chihuahua named Heaven Sent Brandy, who measured six inches long from the nose to the tip of the tail. Brandy set this record on January 31, 2005, and lives with her owner in Florida. On the other hand, the smallest dog in the world in terms of height is Boo Boo. This long-haired female Chihuahua measured 4 inches tall on May 12, 2007, and lives in Kentucky.

A Great Dane named George is officially the tallest dog on record. He stands at 43 inches tall from paw to shoulder and weighs 245 pounds. There was so much conflict over this record that Guinness officials sent a judge to Tucson, Arizona, to verify George’s height. George eats about 110 pounds of food a month and sleeps in his own queen-sized bed.

The oldest dog that has been documented was an Australian cattle dog named Bluey. He was put to sleep at the age of 29 years and 5 months. Though some question whether Bluey, who died in 1939, truly was that old, another dog from Australia named Chilla is reputed to be the oldest dog in the world. In 1984, when Chilla died, he supposedly was 32 years old. In human years that would equal 224 years! The current oldest living dog is Max, a terrier from the United States who is 29-plus years old.

Dogs are known for their faithfulness, but the Bible tells us of a true Friend. “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). That friend is Jesus, who set a “universal record” when, as the Divine Son of God, He laid down His life for us. Now that’s a record that will never be beat!