Kevin, world’s tallest male dog, dies at age three: ‘He was the best giant boy’

The world’s tallest male dog – a great dane from Iowa named Kevin who was comically skittish despite his imposing frame – has died unexpectedly, leaving his owners to mourn that humans “never [have] enough time” with such majestic pets.

Kevin, age three, died after falling ill and undergoing an unplanned surgery, according to a statement on Monday from Guinness World Records, who in March officially recognized the great dane as the globe’s tallest dog.

In a statement, Kevin’s co-owners, Tracy and Roger Wolfe, described their family as “devastated”.

“He was just the best giant boy,” said the Wolfes’ statement, which was shared by the organization that is famous for maintaining a database of about 40,000 world records. “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 measured 3ft 2in (0.97 meters) from his feet to his withers, or the ridge between the shoulder blades. That was about the same size as many toddlers – as well as 8in taller than the average male great dane, Guinness World Records had said.

The pooch secured the title of world’s tallest living male dog after the record was vacated by the death six months earlier of fellow American great dane Zeus, Guinness said. Zeus – who was also three when he died – had been 3ft 5.18in (1.046 meters) tall when he had his front right leg amputated amid a battle with bone cancer and developed a fatal case of pneumonia.

Just this past 13 June, Guinness World Records published an interview with the Wolfes about how Kevin would act as if he had no idea how big he was at the home he shared with the married couple, their two young children, and several other dogs, cats, chickens, goats and horses in West Des Moines, Iowa.

Kevin – named after the protagonist of the Home Alone film series – was notoriously “terrified of” the household’s vacuum cleaner, as Tracy Wolfe recounted.

Related: The world’s tallest dog is an adorable scaredy cat, his owners say

“He won’t let it come within six feet of him!” Tracy Wolfe had said. Calling Kevin “big baby”, she added: “He will jump and run to get away from it.”

Dogs, cats and other pets in general can loathe vacuum cleaners because of the loud noises they make and odd smells they produce. But the phobia stood out in Kevin because of how he dwarfed most things around him and would sometimes be mistaken for a small horse.

Kevin was so prone to nervousness that when he accompanied the Wolfes’ son to his first training class at the youth development and mentoring organization 4-H, he suddenly became overwhelmed and soiled himself right in the middle of the session, as Tracy Wolfe noted.

In that interview, Tracy Wolfe also marveled at how Kevin could eat up to 10 cups of food daily and spend much of his time napping while still keeping a svelte figure. Contributing to their wonder was the fact that he would steal whatever additional food he could off kitchen counters – which he loomed over without having to raise his snout, much less needing to get on his hind legs.

“Kevin is just the epitome of a gentle giant,” Tracy Wolfe had said to Guinness. “He was … just perfect for us.”