Lincoln Graham takes a walk every day down to Cafe Lladro for a cup of coffee and every day Guinness, his Irish Wolfhound, goes with him.

Guinness weighs 201 pounds and if he stood on his hind legs would dwarf most people since as Lincoln explains, "If he puts his paws up on your shoulders he's over seven feet tall, they are the longest dog breed."

He is a pure bred, AKC registered and came from a breeder out in Carnation about four years ago.

"They were bred in Ireland to hunt wolves," explained Graham.

Guinness even at his size and weight is a "lap dog," said Graham. "He backs into you and sits down, his front legs are on the floor and his back legs are up in the air and his rear end is on your lap and he'll sit there until he's ready for you to move. When I got him he was 16 weeks old and weighed 38 pounds so he's always been good sized."

The walks are preceded by an announcement that Guinness recognizes.

"He knows the the word 'coffee,'" Graham said,"because for him it's a cookie and all the kids at the Lladro know him and give him a cookie. (..) they have cookies for all the dogs there. So it's one of his favorite parts of the day. His two favorite things are naps and cookies at the Lladro."

Guinness is so large, friendly and social that he is actually surprised when people don't stop to talk to him and pet. As a watchdog he probably has those who are better, but as Graham explained, "I wouldn't want to come inside without an invitation but he's not real fierce."

He can play "all the games" but he "does it on his own terms,"said Graham.

Unlike many dogs, Guinness can't really turn around in confined spaces.

"He's got a reverse gear," said Graham. "When he gets in some place he can't turn around, he has to back out, so he's learned how to do all that stuff."

When Graham's grandchildren are in the room with the dog he lowers himself down, he knows he is big,

"He could knock a kid over with his tail," said Graham, "(but he's) the mellowest dog I've ever owned. They're gentle giants."

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