Dateline: Sacramento
Gibson, the world’s tallest dog, has died from cancer at the age of 7. After being diagnosed with bone cancer last April, Gibson had his right front leg removed, but it was too late to prevent the cancer from spreading to his lungs and spine. When he began having trouble with his back legs, Sandy Hall had to make the difficult decision to put him down.
Gibson had worked as a therapy dog, and Ms. Hall has established a Web site in his memory to promote Three Paws for the Cause, to raise awareness of canine cancer.
Gibson’s world record height? 42.6 inches at the whithers, and (get this!) 7 feet, 1 inch tall when standing stretched out on his hind legs. You guessed it – he’s a Great Dane!
Rest in Peace, Gibson.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
Wow, Gibson made the news with his death. Oh, he was only 7 years old.
If you are struggling with a loss of your own Gibson, Father Paul Keenan’s book, “Why We Love Them So: Surviving the Loss of an Animal Friend,” can help you grieve a beloved animal friend.
He writes, “Grieving the loss of our pets is an important way of honoring their place in our lives. We mourn because we loved them and they loved us, and that love is irreplacable. Take your time. Grieve. Let yourself be sad. It’s perfectly reasonable…I don’t want you to stay sad. I want you to see that what feels like a very negative experience right now can make a very positive contribution to your life. If we are patient with ourselves, if we take the time and the effort to understand our grief, we will gradually find ourselves able to grasp its power to transform us.”
I feel so bad for the parents to Gibson. I have been blessed with 4 Great Danes in the last 9 years (my ex and I had 3 boys at one time). I LOVE this breed and will get another one in a heartbeat, even knowing they aren’t with us as long as we would like them to be.
My deepest sympathies to you!
Beautiful boy
ahhh that’s so sad my thoughts go out to the owners of Gibson
I also lost my dog to cancer Shelby (sheltie) was almost 8 when diagnosed with lymphosarcoma, he seemed so healthy, it was quite a shock. He was diagnosed in jan 09 and when his neck got so huge we had to put him down 03/26/2009. Still breaks my heart, my sympathies to the owners.