When the world’s tallest dog met the world’s tiniest

The two dogs enjoyed a day playing together. (Natalie Behring/Guinness World Records via CNN Newsource)

When both dogs are walking, Pearl, a 9.14-centimetre (3.6-inch) tall chihuahua, barely reaches the top of Reggie’s paw, such is the towering height of the 1.007-metre (3-foot, 4-inch) Great Dane. It’s easy to forget they are the same species.

Pearl is the world’s shortest living dog and Reggie is the world’s tallest and, despite their 91.56-centimetre (3-foot) height difference, they happily played together when they first met in Idaho earlier this month, according to Guinness World Records (GWR).

Pearl and her owner, Vanesa Semler, traveled from Florida to Idaho to meet Reggie and his owner, Sam Johnson Reiss. When the dogs first encountered each other, Pearl remained in the safety of her owner’s hands as Reggie reached up to gently greet and sniff her before they lay next to one another on the sofa.

And once they were used to each other they wandered around the house and garden together, posing for photos – Reggie so tall that he is the same height as the kitchen counters, Pearl so small that she fits inside his food bowl.

Johnson Reiss predicted Reggie’s gentleness around Pearl, saying that “he’s very, very cautious and aware.”

“I anticipate that he will be really good with her and probably be more interested in Pearl’s owner than maybe Pearl herself,” they added, according to GWR.

Similarly, Semler expected Pearl to be “really friendly,” as she is when she meets other bigger dogs.

“I think she has no idea she is small dog,” Semler said, according to GWR. “Normally she’s really playful with bigger dogs, she just wants to be around (them).”

Pearl is so tiny that she measures about the same length as a dollar bill and loves wearing clothes. “She can choose actually what she’d like to wear in the day,” Semler added. “For me, it’s funny so I can see what is her mood that day.”

Despite his size and regal demeanour, meanwhile, Reggie is “just a big baby,” Johnson Reiss said. “He’s super playful, very vocal.”