Lab-shepherd mix called Zoey has world’s longest dog tongue

CNN) — A Labrador and German shepherd mix named Zoey has claimed the record for the longest tongue on a living dog.

At 12.7 centimeters (5 inches), Zoey’s tongue is longer than a soda can, according to Guinness World Records.

Her owners, Sadie and Drew Williams from Metairie, Louisiana, US, said people often comment on how long Zoey’s tongue is.

“We got Zoey when she was only six weeks old and in the first ever picture we have of her, she has her tongue sticking out,” said Sadie Williams.

“We thought surely she’d grow into it but she obviously didn’t. She still has an enormous tongue compared to her body.”

Zoey’s massive tongue is most obvious when she is panting after playing outside.

“It would be slobbering all over the place,” said Drew Williams. “So sometime last year we took her to the vet and measured her tongue.”

Measuring from the tip of her snout to the tip of her tongue, Zoey was recognized as a record breaker.

The 3-year-old dog is a fun loving creature, according to her owners.

“She will pretty much go fetch anything you throw and swim in any body of water that’s available,” said Drew Williams. “But she hates getting a bath.”

Zoey is also friendly to strangers, but petting her comes with its own risks.

“Every now and then while we’re out taking her on a walk, people will come up to her and want to pet her,” said Drew Williams.

“We’ll warn them ahead of time ‘Hey, she’s friendly but she might slobber on you’ and every now and then she will, and they’ll have a big slobber mark on their black pants.”

Zoey beat previous record holder Bisbee, an English Setter from Tucson, Arizona, who claimed the record almost three months ago with a tongue measuring 9.49 centimeters (3.74 inches).

Another previous holder of the record, Mochi “Mo” Rickert, had a tongue that measured 18.58 centimeters (7.3 inches). The female Saint Bernard held the record for five years, and died in November 2021.