Dogs don’t live as long as humans, but the lucky ones are blessed to have long lives lasting well into their teens, with a rare few even make it to 20.
But of all the super-senior dogs in the world, only one can claim the official title of the oldest living dog in the world. Now, the torch has been passed to a dog named Pebbles, still going strong at 22 years old!
Pebbles, a toy fox terrier, clinched the Guinness World Record as the oldest dog living, verified on May 17. Pebbles lives with his family in Taylors, South Carolina, and is 22 years and 59 days old, according to Guinness.
Pebbles was born on Mary 28, 2000. Owners Bobby and Julie Gregory say they originally planned to take home a larger dog, but fell in love with the tiny pup instead.
“She was jumping and barking so much at Bobby that he had no choice but to pick her up and check her out,” Julie told Guinness World Records. “It was instant love the second the two met.”
They described Pebbles as being calm and loving, and also the “queen of her home” who loves the attention she gets from her owners.
She loves listening to country music, snuggling in blankets and going for walks in warm weather.
Despite being remarkably old for a dog, Pebbles is still in great health and has a great appetite. A veterinarian placed her on a protein-rich cat food diet in 2012, and the dog celebrated her 22nd birthday with a stack of ribs.
“Most of the people that know Pebbles can’t believe how long she has lived,” Julie said. “They always joke about it and tell us all the time how amazing it is that we still have her as most of them have known us over 20 years and remember when we got her.”
But it was only recently that they realized Pebbles could be a record-holder. Just weeks ago, a 21-year-old chihuahua named TobyKeith made headlines after setting the Guinness World Record as the oldest living dog. The Gregorys realized their senior pooch was even older, and were able to verify the claim.
Pebbles still has some years to go before setting the all-time record: according to Guinness, the oldest dog ever, based on reliable age records, was an Australian cattle dog named Bluey, who lived an astounding 29 years and five months.
But given how healthy Pebbles still is, and how well taken care of she is by her family, we wouldn’t be surprised if this old dog lives for many years to come.
The couple said they are “truly honored” by the record, and credit their longtime pet as being a “beacon of our lives” through good times and bad. And to all pet owners looking to keep their dogs alive and well as long as they can, their advice is simple: love them like family.
“Treat them like family because they are,” Julie told Guinness. “Give them a happy positive environment as much as possible, good clean food and proper healthcare.”
Congrats to Pebbles on setting this remarkable record! We wish her many happy years to come.
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