A Florida chihuahua named TobyKeith officially broke the Guinness World Record for the oldest living dog.
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TobyKeith was born on January 9, 2001, and is now the oldest living dog in the world at an age of 21 years and 66 days old. According to TOO FAB, his owner Gisela Shore said people stated her dog looks good for his age and adopted him after an elderly couple could no longer take care of him. “I was a volunteer at Peggy Adams Animal Rescue and one of the employees told me about an elderly couple trying to surrender a puppy because they could not take care of him any longer. I was introduced to a tiny tan Chihuahua. They had named him Peanut Butter. I later changed his name to TobyKeith,” she said.
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Shore also explained the secret to her dog’s long life is a healthy diet and exercise since the average life expectancy of a chihuahua ranges from 12 to 18 years. TobyKeith’s diet consists of vegetables, rice, and chicken plus she believes his good genetics and loving home is the key to a long-lasting life.
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TobyKeith has a heart condition despite his strict diet and exercise regimen but Shore says it doesn’t bother him that much. She says she is happy that her dog was able to break the Guinness World Record as he passed his milestones.
“When he turned 20 years everyone’s reaction was WOW! My friends and family thought he was the oldest dog they knew about.”
Shore also owns two other dogs named Luna, a seven-year-old bulldog, and Lala, a three-year-old Chinese Crested. In addition to her dogs, she owns two parrots, a 28-year-old Umbrella Cockatoo named Coco, and Coqui, a 32-year-old African Grey. Throughout her lifetime, Shore fostered 150 dogs and puppies from the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue.
“The thought that my little guy has reached such a milestone is fantastic! I am thrilled,”
Previously, the oldest living dog who broke the Guinness World Record was an Australian Cattle Dog who was at a recorded age of 29 years and 5 months old in 1910. A Great Dane named Zeus also broke the record for the world’s tallest dog in 2014 at a height of 7 feet, 4 inches while standing on his hind legs. Another dog named Tigger, a bloodhound held the world record for the longest dog ears.
A tortoise named Johnathan broke the record for oldest-known, living land animal at the age of 187. He was born in 1832 and lived through major historical events. Panda twins He He and Mei Mei were named the first panda twins to be born to a mother in captivity and a father in the wild.
As for TobyKeith, he had a full day of pampering which included a bath and getting his nails trimmed along with a fun car ride to celebrate his new achievement.