Giant George: Life with the World’s Biggest Dog

What seems like a gimmicky idea for a book—life with the world’s tallest dog (with a Guinness Book of World Records certificate to prove it)—turns out to be an engaging, humorous read. “Giant” George begins life, paradoxically, as the runt of the litter, a Great Dane selected somewhat haphazardly by Nasser and his wife, Christie. George’s breeder tries to impart some words of caution—“the parents are real big,” she says. Soon George is wreaking havoc in the Nasser home, outgrowing the “the biggest dog crate available on the market” (the “Colossus”) and eventually requiring his own queen-sized bed to sleep on. Fully grown, he weighs 245 pounds. But rather than the rambles of an obsessed owner, the book is a well-plotted and compelling story, which takes us into the Nasser family dynamic: when Dave and Christie start trying for a baby, they encounter heartbreak. Startlingly honest and well-written, Giant George’s story stands apart from the slew of other dog books on the shelves. (Apr.)