Droopy Ears Earn Doggy World Record

He can't fly like Dumbo, but Jack the basset hound from Fulda, Germany can sure get tripped up by his extra long ears. Jack's measure 33.2 centimeters, just over 13 inches, and the people at the Guinness Book of World Records have confirmed it: that's truly superlative when it comes to dog ears.

Jack has lived with his family in Fulda since he was eight weeks old. At first, according to his owner, Carsten Baus, Jack's ears didn't seem like anything special. But as he got older, his ears experienced a growth spurt, and….kept growing. The pup even started stumbling over them when he went for walks. But the family just thought Jack's ears were long and kind of bothersome -- hardly record material.

Then by chance, family mom Claudia Baus read a newspaper article about another basset hound that supposedly had the longest ears in the world.

"Just for fun, we measured Jack's ears, and we were totally surprised," Carsten Baus told Germany's Bild newspaper. They informed the local press, and, shortly thereafter, they got a call from the people at the Guinness Book.

Jack now has a certificate confirming his record, and he's become something of a local celebrity in Fulda. He hasn't let it go to his head, though, and he is still the same old Jack. He still slobbers a lot and is a happy family pet, even if his floppy ears do get in the way sometimes. The price of fame, one might say.