Sam Reiss, left, with Reginald, who holds the record for the tallest dog in the world. Meet them both in the video above. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com
IDAHO FALLS – After meeting Pearl, the world’s shortest dog, Reginald — who was recently recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s tallest dog — is enjoying the spotlight.
EastIdahoNews.com paid a visit to his Idaho Falls home on Monday to speak with him and his owner face to face. The 3-foot-3 inch great dane has a cushy life with his owner, Sam Johnson Reiss, on their 25-acre spread west of town. The 7-year-old canine has a steady diet of yummy treats. He enjoys bathing in the sun and even drinks from the sink in his own bathroom.
In a conversation with EastIdahoNews.com, Reiss says they reached out to Guinness about two years ago after hearing others on numerous occasions say that Reginald was an exceptionally large dog. After doing all the necessary testing and paperwork, they discovered he set a new record for the world’s tallest dog.
The previous record holder — Reiss isn’t sure what breed of dog it was — was two-tenths of an inch taller than Reggie. He recently passed away. Zeus, another previous record holder, stood at 3-feet-5 inches and died in September 2023.
Knowing that Reginald now holds the title, Reiss says, “It’s so weird.”
“It’s silly. Everyone keeps telling me congratulations. I think it’s funny because I really didn’t do anything. I just raised him,” Reiss says. “He’s like Clifford. Love made him grow.”
Ironically, Reginald was the smallest pup in his litter. Reiss bought him in Utah and found him through the classified ads.
One of Reiss’s former roommates had a Great Dane and that turned them on to the idea of owning one.
Reiss’s love of animals stems back to childhood.
“I remember saving up my allowance to swim with the dolphins at SeaWorld,” Reiss recalls. “I always wanted a dog of my own, but I feel like it wasn’t until I got into adulthood that I was able to (make it) possible. It hasn’t been easy.”
Reginald greeted us at the door as we walked in before emptying his bowels. (One of the most frequently asked questions Reiss gets is about the size of his fecal matter. It’s massive. We took pictures, but we’ll spare you the gory details.) Reiss reacted without embarrassment and quickly cleaned it up. Reiss’ attitude toward Reginald is much like a parent caring for a young child, and that’s how Reiss prefers it.
Reiss speaks to Reginald as if he were a child.
“He has the attitude of a 2- or 3-year-old kid. He back talks and has an attitude if you tell him to do something and he doesn’t want to do it,” says Reiss.
Reiss says breeding Reginald and having even larger offspring is an impossibility. He was fixed at a young age because of a birth defect.
The average life span for a dog Reginald’s size is three to five years. At age 7, he’s already surpassed those expectations and Reiss has mentally prepared for his passing for years.
Reiss plans to lay him to rest in Tanner Park, an off-leash dog park in Salt Lake City.
Until then, they want him to enjoy life as much as possible.
Reginald got an excited look in his eye as Reiss asked him what his favorite thing is. He waited patiently as Reiss got him a treat from the cupboard.
Meet Reginald and Reiss in the video above.
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