You never know who you’re going to run into when you roam the
city of St. Louis. You certainly don’t expect to meet a 6-foot dog.
But this is Duchess the Great Dane, who is arguably the
tallest dog in St. Louis. The five-year-old weighs 180 pounds and is 3-feet
tall when she’s on all fours. But when she rears up on her hind legs, Duchess
is 6-feet-4-inches tall! And that still doesn’t qualify her as the tallest dog
in America. Another Great Dane named Zeus, who hails from Michigan, holds that
record at 7-feet-tall.
Duchess is an astounding sight. She’s almost like a tourist
attraction as runners, bikers, dog walkers and even park staff slow down or
even stop to see if that’s really a dog. And Marty Connolly, Duchess’ owner,
doesn’t mind a bit.
Marty, a 63-year-old retiree from South St. Louis, is glad
to share the story of his rescue dog. Duchess is originally from California and
came to this area with her family. But demanding jobs and a new baby didn’t
leave Duchess much family time. So Marty stepped in. Marty had lost his first
beloved Great Dane, Duke, recently and Duchess fit right in.
The gentle giant ambled happily along with Marty during one
of her two daily walks in the park. When she stopped to say hello, she leaned
into the stranger that was petting her. An instant connection. And when the
stranger’s yappy dog tried to get her goat, a sniff and yawn was all the
response her sweet soul had to share.
“All I know is she loves people and other animals and her
mission from God is to help others,” Marty said.
But Duchess’ new friend wasn’t so sure.The 15-pound little dog tried to get to know Duchess by sniffing her
hind quarters. But all her little nose could reach was Duchess’ legs. They parted with a plan to meet again soon.