Lady Bug, possibly oldest dog in the world, celebrates 23rd birthday

It’s true that dogs don’t live as long as humans do, but some are blessed with long and happy lives. A select few even live into their 20s, a rare feat equal to being over 100 in human years.

When these super-senior dogs celebrate their birthday, it’s always a big milestone worth celebrating. So when a dog named Lady Bug — who has a claim for being the oldest dog in the world — had her 23rd birthday this week, she celebrated in style.

Lady Bug’s owner, Mary Jo Hughes, adopted her after the dog was abandoned at a groomer, according to The Mirror.

According to WGAL, the dog was in poor condition: Hughes says the dog had mammary cancer, bladder stones and had to have nine teeth removed.

And despite all the love and care she’s received, Lady Bug still looks a bit rough: “No matter how much we groom her, she looked like she had crawled out of a dumpster,” Hughes told WGAL.

But despite everything, Lady Bug has been with her owner for a very, very long time, and Hughes says she “really survived the odds.”

Records from Lady Bug’s previous owner indicate that she was born on January 3, 2000 — if true, she just celebrated her 23rd birthday, and is the world’s oldest dog.

That’s quite a momentous occasion, and Lady Bug got her own birthday bash held at Neffsville Veterinary Clinic in Manheim Township, Pennsylvania.

“It’s a good thing to come into this afternoon. We just love celebrating with her and we’re so glad that she’s still here with us at 23,” veterinarian Dr. Nicole Blithe told FOX 43. “She’s a miracle.”

Despite evidence that she’s 23, her status as the world’s oldest dog has yet to be officially verified. According to Guinness World Records, the official oldest living dog is Gino, a 22-year-old former rescue dog who took the title in November.

Gino’s birthday is September 24, 2000, so records indicate that Lady Bug is the actual oldest by nearly nine months.

“I do know some of my staff are playing sleuths and detectives trying to track down a further birth date for her,” Dr. Blithe told WGAL. Two different veterinarian places reported different ages for Lady Bug.

If the information can be verified, the owner says she’ll make a call to Guinness to make it official — but even if Lady Bug’s name never appears in the record books, she’s just happy to have her around so long.