Spike is a Chihuahua who lives on a farm and enjoys Doritos.
"I believe Spike is still here because after having such a terrible life at first, he makes the best of each day,” stated Rita Kimball, Spike’s owner.
Spike, a 23-year-old chihuahua mix was named the World's Oldest Living Dog by Guinness World Records on Thursday, displacing previous title holder Gino, a 22-year-old chihuahua mix from Los Angeles.
Spike was born in November 1999 and was granted the title on Dec. 7.
The dog was 23 years and 43 days old as of Dec. 7, 2022, standing at 9 inches tall and weighing just 12.9 pounds, per GWR.
Spike was ten years old when Rita Kimball from Camden, Ohio rescued him, per the press release.
Rita first saw Spike loitering in a grocery store parking lot around ten years ago. The store employees had been feeding him scraps for days, and he was in bad shape. Despite his rough appearance, Rita was drawn to him, and he jumped right in when she opened the car door for him.
The dog has now lived on a small farm in rural Ohio with his forever family for over a decade. He enjoys caring for the cows and horses and indulging in his favorite activities, such as eating sausage and cheese (and crushed Doritos), bathing on Saturday nights, and playing with the family's pet cat.
Rita attributes Spike’s longevity to his regular schedule, “healthy diet, plenty of space to roam, daily exercise, and lots of love and attention.”
Closing Thoughts
The title of oldest dog in the world can change multiple times while the current holders are still alive. This happens when people become aware of the Guinness World Records and have their pets verified to claim the title.
TobyKeith, a purebred chihuahua, has held the title multiple times in the past year.
Previously, Pebbles, a 22-year-old toy fox terrier from South Carolina held the title before passing away.
Gino, a 22-year-old chihuahua mix from Los Angeles, also held the title and is three months older than TobyKeith.
According to GWR, the longest-lived dog reliably recorded was Bluey, an Australian cattle dog who died in 1939 at the age of 29 years and five days.
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