GIANT GEORGE:LIFE WITH THE WORLD'S BIGGEST DOG (DAVE NASSER WITH LYNNE BARRETT-LEE)

Story Description: 

With his big blue eyes and soulful expression, George was the irresistible runt of the litter. But Dave and Christie Nasser's "baby" ended up being almost five feet tall, seven feet long, and 245 pounds. Eager to play, and boisterous to the point of causing chaos, this big Great Dane was scared of water, scared of dogs a fraction of his size and, most of all, scared of being alone.

GIANT GEORGE is the charming story of how this precocious puppy won Dave and Christie's hearts and along the way became a doggie superstar. In 2010, George was named by Guinness World Records as the Tallest Dog in the World-ever. He appeared on Oprah, and even has his own global fan club. But to Dave and Christie, this extraordinary animal is still their beloved pet, the one who has made them laugh, made them cry, and continues to make them incredibly happy. 

My Review: 

Dave and Christie Nasser wanted a Great Dane puppy but soon realized that there weren’t any Great Dane pups in their area of Tucson, Arizona.  As a matter of fact, there weren’t any in all of Arizona, period.  Christie perused newspapers from their old homestead in California and found an ad placed by a woman in Oregon.  After calling the woman, she emailed them photos of the entire litter of 13 puppies.  Twelve of the pups were all huddled together but one was standing alone by himself.  He was the “runt” of the litter but was also the “perfect colour” – blue!  Not only was his fur blue but so were his enormous eyes.  Dave and Christie immediately asked the woman to email a larger photo of this particular pup and they instantly fell in love.  They made arrangements to fly the Great Dane puppy from Oregon to Phoenix, plus shelled out $1,750 for the pup.  The flight was two hours and the poor 17 pound puppy arrived in his crate, terrified. 

On the way to the airport, Dave and Christie had settled on calling the newest member of their family, George.  Christie didn’t have the heart to put George back in his crate for the ride home after a terrifying ride in the hold of the plane in the dark, so she allowed George to lie in her lap instead. 

After a sleepless evening the first night home, the Nasser’s learned quickly that George didn’t like sleeping in his crate alone in the kitchen.  The second night they moved George’s crate into their bedroom where he was much happier. 

Dave and Christie never dreamed George would grow to be so big, as a matter of fact, he is now the “world’s biggest dog – ever!”  At 14 weeks of age he already weighed an incredible 34 pounds.  At 5 months, George weighed as much as a fully grown Labrador.  He appeared to be growing at a phenomenal rate of “one pound per day.”  (Great Dane “Adult” males usually grow to around 150 pounds).  By 9 months of age he weighed a whopping 147 pounds and still had two years of growing to do. 

In August 2006, George had hit doggy “puberty”, he was a “teenager” and became “rambunctious, moody, and almost psycho”.  George had discovered his “manhood” and began to hump everyone and anything in site! 

I loved that Dave Nasser made a point of saying: “..you knew when George liked you…his displays of affection could have you pinned temporarily against a wall or a piece of furniture”.  It was: “George’s version of a bear hug”. 

This is an endearing, heartwarming true story.  It will make you laugh-out-loud and you’ll be clambering for more and more.  Don’t miss this exceptional story of a dog who grew to be 245 pounds and whose heart is as big as the open sky! 

You can also check out Giant George’s own website at:

 http://www.giantgeorge.com/home.html  

THANK YOU to NET GALLEY for the preview copy.