World's Tallest, Smallest Dogs Meet Up For A Playdate

The tallest and smallest living dogs in the world met up for a playdate. It sounds like the plot of a picture book, but this one happened in real life when the owners of Reginald, a 7-year-old Great Dane who stands tall at 3 feet, 3 inches high and lives in Idaho Falls, Idaho, hosted Pearl, a Florida chihuahua who stands at a diminutive 3.59 inches high.

Despite the almost three foot difference between the two dogs, they played just as any dogs do, spending their time together wagging tails, sniffing and scampering around over two days together. The meet up was arranged by Guinness World Records, which has certified both Pearl and Reginald (who goes by Reggie) for their respective world titles.

While the size difference between the two dogs didn’t seem to bother then, it did create a bit of apprehension on the part of Pearl’s owner, Vanesa Semler, which is understandable, as Reginald is, essentially, the size of a small horse. Luckily, once the two animals were together, Semler was relieved to see how gentle Reggie was with his tiny playmate. “For me, (it) was a huge, pleasant surprise from day one because Reggie is like Pearl, in bigger size,” she told the Associated Press. “He is so gentle, so friendly.”

Reggie’s owner Sam Johnson Reiss echoed the sentiment, describing Reggie’s treatment of Pearl as “very cautious.” While Reggie was possibly even more interested in the Guinness film crew that was there for the encounter, Reiss noted that “He was very careful, like he didn’t step on her or anything or anything crazy. He was just very aware that she was there.”

Senior writer Chris DeWeese edits Morning Brief, The Weather Channel’s weekday newsletter.