Dog named Rocky breaks world record for longest tongue

NORMAL, Ill. (WEEK/Gray News) - With a tongue as long as Rocky’s, you’re sure to get a big slobbery lick!

Rocky, from Normal, Illinois, now holds the world record for the longest tongue on a living dog.

Rocky’s owners said they always knew he had an unusually long tongue, but it wasn’t until people started commenting on its length that they realized Rocky had something special.

“It was just hanging there, and we’re like, it’s so long,” said Crystal Williams, Rocky’s owner. “But when other people started noticing, complete strangers, that’s when we’re like, his tongue is long, and not just we think so.”

Williams said she didn’t know there was a world record for the longest tongue on a living dog until she saw the previous holder, Mochi, on a TV special. She said earlier this year when she heard on the radio that Mochi had passed away, she was sad, but she thought that now Rocky could have a chance.

“That’s when they said the new record was between three and four inches, and I said, ‘Oh my gosh, I think we have a shot, I have to look into this,’” Williams said.

She said the application process to Guinness World Records was not easy, and that the documentation aspect was a lot to look through.

“I double-checked and triple-checked because I wanted to make sure they didn’t say no, because when is the next time he’s going to have a chance?” Williams said.

A couple of months after Williams applied, Guinness accepted the application. So Williams got started on the measurement planning.

“I talked to the vet, and he left me a message saying, I guess we’re measuring a tongue, and it was on! That’s when it got exciting. We got witnesses, videographers and photographers,” Williams said.

Guinness sent veterinarian Dr. Bernard Bleem specific requirements to measure Rocky’s tongue.

They had to put Rocky under anesthesia so they could gently draw out his tongue. They measure from the tip of the dog’s nose to the end of their tongue.

On Guinness World Records, Rocky measured in at 13.883 centimeters, or around 5.466 inches.

“It was 140 millimeters. I mean, it’s long,” Bleem said. “Rocky is a great dog. He really deserves this.”

“It has been a lot of fun. It’s just fun to laugh at too, it’s like oh my gosh, look at his tongue!” Williams said.

Rocky beat out the most recent record-holder after Mochi’s death, a dog named Zoey from Louisiana with a tongue measured at 12.7 centimeters, or 5 inches.

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