Abandoned at Age 10, Rescued After Being Born in 1999
The Longest-Living Dog in History Lived for 29 Years and 5 Months
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] A 23-year-old Chihuahua named 'Spike' living in the United States has been recognized by the Guinness World Records (GWR) as the "world's oldest living dog."
Spike, recognized by the Guinness World Records as the oldest living dog in the world. [Photo by Yonhap News]
According to CNN on the 20th (local time), Spike, who lives on a farm in Camden, Ohio, received a GWR certificate on the 7th of last month confirming he is at least 23 years and 7 days old. Previously, Pebbles from South Carolina, the former record holder, passed away five months before her 23rd birthday last October. Consequently, the oldest dog record was held by Gino Wolf from Los Angeles, born in September 2000, starting November last year, but was surpassed by Spike after about two months.
Spike is a small dog, standing 22.86 cm tall and weighing 5.85 kg. Spike's owner, Rita Kimball, first met him in 2009 at a neighborhood supermarket parking lot where he had been abandoned. Kimball said, "There were bloodstains around Spike's neck, likely from chains or ropes, and according to store employees, Spike had been there for three days." She could not leave Spike behind and decided to take him to her farm. As soon as she opened the car door, Spike jumped in and has been with her for 14 years since then.
The Kimball family heard about Pebbles' death, the previous record holder, on TV last year and thought Spike might be able to challenge the oldest dog record. Rita gathered documents to prove Spike's age and submitted them to GWR, which recognized him as the oldest living dog.
Age Estimated by Condition of Teeth and Eyes
Recently, when Guinness World Records posted Spike's achievement as the oldest dog on social media and their website, some netizens questioned how they knew the age of a rescued dog. In response, Guinness World Records explained in the comments, "We based it on various evidence, including multiple veterinary records," adding, "Veterinarians unanimously estimated Spike's birth date to be between July and November 1999, based on medical conditions such as his teeth and eyes."
Currently, Spike is almost blind and has weakened hearing, but he enjoys a comfortable old age interacting with his family as well as other animals on the farm, including cows, horses, and cats. Kimball advised pet owners to provide a healthy diet, space to roam, daily exercise, and unlimited love and attention.
According to Guinness World Records, the longest-lived dog in history was Bluey from Australia, who died in 1939 at the age of 29 years and 5 months. Bluey worked as a farm dog caring for cattle and sheep for nearly 20 years.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
