There’s so much variation between dogs that it can sometimes be hard to believe that some breeds – particularly the smallest and largest dog breeds – are part of the same species.
And now, showing just how different two members of the same species can be are Pearl and Reggie, respectively the shortest and tallest living dogs – a Chihuahua and Great Dane per the Guinness World Records. They met up for the first time in Idaho last month, and despite the contrast in size, they seemed to get on well.
Chihuahua Pearl, at 3.6 inches, only gets up to the top of 3ft4in Great Dane Reggie. But when they met, Reggie gently greeted and sniffed Pearl, then in her mom’s hands, before they relaxed on the couch together, before wandering around the house and yard and even posing for photos.
Vanesa Semler, Pearl’s mom, traveled from Florida to Idaho with her pup to meet Reggie and his parent, Sam Johnson Reiss. Johnson Reiss predicted that Reggie would be gentle around the smaller dog, describing him as “very, very cautious and aware” and adding, “I anticipate that he will be really good with her and probably be more interested in Pearl’s owner than maybe Pearl herself.”
Semler said, “I think she has no idea she is a small dog. Normally she’s really playful with bigger dogs, she just wants to be around them.”
She said that Pearl, who’s about the same length as a dollar bill, loves wearing clothes, explaining, “She can choose actually what she’d like to wear in the day. For me, it’s funny, so I can see what is her mood that day.”
Johnson Reiss said that, despite Reggie being so large, he’s “just a big baby” and is “super playful, very vocal”.
They said that Reggie was the runt of the litter when he was born and had no idea that he’d go on to become so large – while they’d had large dogs before, they weren’t expecting his sheer size.
They added, “I'd say the major advantage to having a really tall dog is I don't have to bend down to pet him, he's just right at my arm's length. My face is never dry because it's always being licked, and my heart is always full because he's the best part of it.”
Want to find out more about the breeds of these remarkable canines? Take a look at these facts about Chihuahuas and Great Dane facts
