Virtually everyone who met Drew and Sadie Williams’s dog after the married couple from Louisiana first adopted Zoey three years ago could tell the labrador-German shepherd puppy had a long tongue.
It turns out it wasn’t just long – it was longer than that of any other dog in the world.
The story of the Williamses and how Zoey’s 5in (12.7cm) tongue landed her a global mark for the longest tongue on a living dog first appeared on Friday on Guinness World Records’ website. Drew Williams said on Monday that he and his wife submitted documentation of Zoey’s lengthy tongue to the Guinness organization in November before receiving her new record holders’ certificate in March.
Preceding that was a tale beginning in June 2020, when Sadie and her husband saw a post online from someone trying to get rid of an unintentional litter of puppies. They talked to that person and agreed to take in Zoey because she matched a mix that appealed to them.
“It kind of worked out perfectly,” said Drew Williams, a resident of the New Orleans suburb of Metairie.
The Williamses quickly noticed how Zoey’s tongue bulged out of her mouth even though she was just five weeks old. And as she got bigger and met more people, the most common remark to greet her was “Man, she’s got a long tongue,” Drew recalled.
At one point, Drew measured a butter knife at 4.5in (11.43cm) and held it up next to Zoey’s tongue, which was longer by a good half of an inch, Drew recalled.
Finally, a person suggested to Drew that Zoey’s tongue would probably break a record for length if there was one kept. Drew went on the Guinness site and saw that the record for longest tongue on a living dog was left vacant by the 2021 death of the previous holder, a St Bernard named Mochi who was from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and had a licker measuring 7.31in (18.58cm) long.
Sadie and Drew decided to go for it. They took Zoey to a veterinarian in Metairie who got the measurement of Zoey’s tongue for Guinness. A package of videos, pictures and witness statements vouched for the validity of the measurement submitted to the organization known for maintaining a database of more than 40,000 world records.
Meanwhile, in February, Guinness announced that it had recognized an english setter from Tucson, Arizona, as the category’s new record holder. Bisbee’s tongue measured 3.74in (9.49cm), which is longer than a popsicle stick, the organization said.
The Williamses were confident that Bisbee’s mark would fall to Zoey given what they knew. After all, Zoey’s tongue is longer than a soda can – or, as they call it in Louisiana, a soft drink can.
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Their confidence was vindicated when they received a certificate from Guinness confirming that Zoey had snatched the title of dog with the world’s longest tongue from Bisbee.
Drew said he and Sadie immediately celebrated Zoey’s mark by going to the store and buying her some luxurious, individually wrapped doggie treats. She also engaged in her favorite activities: fetching balls, chasing squirrels, riding in cars, swimming and eating out of her maze bowl, which is designed to slow down dogs who eat quickly.
Zoey’s parents flaunt the framed certificate on the mantle over their fireplace, alongside a painting of their dog sticking out her prodigious tongue.
Almost no one can resist commenting on the striking display, Drew said.
“It’s … a conversation starter,” Drew said. “There’s not a lot of people who have seen one of those certificates in person, you know – it’s exciting.”
