St. Bernard with 7-inch tongue lands Guinness record

Mochi's the name, slobber's the game

A St. Bernard from South Dakota has slobbered his way into the Guinness Book of World Records as the dog with the longest tongue.

Mochi “Mo” Rickert has a tongue that measures 7.3 inches, according to Guinness, which puts a licking on the previous record of 4.5 inches, held by a male Pekingese. Her achievement is featured in the new book, "Amazing Animals," published this fall by Guinness. 

Carla and Craig Rickert of Sioux Falls adopted Mo from a rescue shelter when she was two years old. Carla told Guinness that the family's beloved pet enjoys dressing up, having her picture taken and snacking on peanut butter and sweet potatoes.

Her record-setting tongue makes it hard for Mo to breath sometimes, Carla said, and Mo often needs help picking things up off the floor. All matter of foreign objects -- leaves, dust and dirt, to name a few -- tend to find their way to Mo's mouth, thanks to her tongue. And, of course, there's the slobbering, which gets worse when Mo is nervous.

But Carla said Mo's resilience and loyalty is an inspiration.

"This once abused and neglected pup has taught us that it’s okay to be different," she said. "We are proud of her unique feature.”

As impressive as it is, Mo's tongue is far from the longest ever on a dog. That distinction belongs to the late Brandy, a boxer from Michigan, whose tongue measured 1 foot, 5 inches.