Posted: August 14, 2009, 5 a.m. EDT
On Friday, August 7 at 10 a.m., 7-year-old harlequin Great Dane Gibson died from osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, four months after his diagnosis. Gibson, who stood 42.6 inches tall from ground to top of shoulders, was the Guinness Book of World Records world’s tallest dog and recent nominee for an American Kennel Club Award for Canine Excellence for work as a therapy dog
Gibson’s front right leg recently was amputated to prevent the disease from spreading, and the dog received follow-up chemotherapy treatments. Although early tests showed positive results, Gibson’s owner, Sandy Hall of Albuquerque, N.M., was informed that the cancer had spread to the dog’s lungs and spine. The vet, Peter Walsh, concluded that no further medical treatment would save him.
Hall, who launched Three Paws for the Cause, an initiative to raise awareness of canine cancer, decided the best option was to euthanize Gibson. According to Walsh, “Gibson died peacefully in the loving arms of Ms. Hall.”
Brewster, a dog sired by Gibson, will accompany Hall during her bus tour across the United States to continue to raise awareness of canine cancer.