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Remember 22-year-old Gino, the oldest dog on Earth? 🐶
Well, he's still a very good boy, but he's now the world's secondoldest dog living, after new record-breaker Spike!
Our paw-some new friend is 23 years and 43 days old as of 7 December 2022.
Being a Chihuahua he is very small, just 9 inches (22.86 cm) tall and weighs 12.9 pounds (5.85 kg).
When Rita Kimball found him in the parking lot of a grocery store in USA, she couldn't have predicted that he would still be her pet over 13 years later!
Spike was already 10 years old when Rita and her family found him.
As Rita told us, the poor dog had visible signs of having been mistreated. He had been waiting around outside the grocery for three days, being fed scraps.
Not knowing who Spike's owner was, Rita took him home so he could have a family and make friends with the other animals she had on her small farm.
“We opened the car door to put our grandson in his car seat, and Spike jumped right in and sat on the seat, as if he knew where we was [sic] going. It was meant to be!”
Rita decided to name him Spike as a joke, inspired by a cartoon dog who was big and tough.
“My dog seemed to be the opposite; he was small and friendly, so I thought it just seemed to fit him,” she explained.
Spike is a really friendly and loving dog, and a great friend to Rita's grandkids!
He only gets nervous around strangers and doesn't like being petted by them, probably because of the fact that he is almost blind, and hard of hearing.
So, you might be wondering... what does it take for a dog to reach 23 years of age, or 117 in human years? 😮
Well, one of the most important things is to create a daily routine that he loves!
Spike starts his day between 7:00 am and 7:30 am.
Depending on how he's feeling, he either starts his day with a full breakfast or he might just have some water for a little while.
On summer weekends, he takes lovely walks with Rita. They live in the countryside, so he enjoys the fresh air and being close to nature!
Then, he'll visit the other animals in the barn:
Then, it's time to relax with a coffee on the porch, and after that it's Spike's morning nap time!
He will spend the rest of the day outside, following Rita and her family around on the farm while they do their jobs, helping in any way he can. 🐕
Spike’s overall favourite activities are:
Rita saw a show on TV with the former oldest dog living, and that was the moment she realised that Spike was actually older!
“Most of our family knew that Spike was old but didn’t know he had a shot at being the oldest in the world. Now that he is a record holder, they see him as a celebrity!”
Rita's advice to those living with pets is to give their friend a healthy diet, as much room to roam as possible, daily exercise, and lots of love and attention!