Some might remember Kevin the Great Dane as the world's tallest male dog, but his family will remember him as "just the best giant boy!"
The 3-year-old pooch died this week following an unplanned surgery after falling ill, just days after Guinness World Records announced he'd claimed the tall title.
"Our whole family is devastated about Kevin," one of Kevin's owners, Tracy Wolfe, said in a statement published by Guinness Monday. "We are so glad that he was able to break the record and have that light on him. He absolutely adored the attention. I wish these giant breeds, and all dogs, could live longer than they do. It's never enough time."
Kevin stood at a record-breaking 3-feet, 2-inches "from his feet to his withers," which is the tallest point on a dog's body, compared to the average Great Dane's 2-feet, 6-inch height. Standing on his hind legs, however, Kevin stretched to around 7 feet tall, Guinness said.
The pup lived in West Des Moines, Iowa, with his loving family of humans — Tracy, her husband Roger and their kids, 12-year-old Alexander and 10-year-old Ava — and animals — three dogs, four cats, chickens, goats and horses.
And although the bunch named him after the title character in "Home Alone," Kevin the dog wasn't anything like the mischievous kid Kevin McCallister.
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His family described him to Guinness as the "epitome of a gentle giant," the ultimate couch snoozer, a huge snuggler, "super duper friendly" — except when he becomes a tattletale if someone is sitting in his favorite couch spot — and the vacuum cleaner's biggest hater.
"He is terrified of the vacuum. He won't let it come within 6 feet of him! He will jump and run to get away from it," Tracy previously told Guinness, which said Kevin was also afraid of the measuring tape used to finalize his record.
But one thing Kevin wasn't afraid of? His size. When he wasn't lounging around, the pup was either sitting on his humans' laps or fitting where he shouldn't have.
"I don’t think he's aware he is as big as he is," Tracy, who works at a veterinary clinic, told Guinness before Kevin's death. "He's continuously trying to squeeze into small beds and sit on top of us, and do everything that the smaller dogs do."
In announcing Kevin's passing, Guinness said it was sad the pup's stint as a record-breaker had been cut short in such a tragic way.
"We are deeply saddened to learn that Kevin suddenly passed away after unexpected health complications," a spokesperson said. "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."
