TobyKeith is the world’s oldest living dog at 21
(Picture: Guinness World Records)TobyKeith, a chihuahua from Florida, has reclaimed his title as the world’s oldest living dog following the death of 22-year-old Pebbles, a toy fox terrier from South Carolina.
Guinness World Records declared TobyKeith the world’s oldest dog in March, when he was 21 years and 66 days old.
However, TobyKeith’s new title prompted Pebbles’s owners, Bobby and Julie Gregory, to realise that, at 22 years old, their dog was in fact older, and she won the title in May.
But Pebbles, who would have turned 23 in March next year, sadly died of natural causes on October 6.
In a press release, her family said: “She spent her days enjoying country music and being loved.
“She was a once-in-a-lifetime companion, and it was our honour to have had the blessing to have had her as a pet, and family member.”
As a result, TobyKeith is now officially the world’s oldest dog - again.
Kylie Galloway, with Guinness World Records North America, told USA Today: “We send our sincerest condolences to Pebbles’s family.
“I can confirm that TobyKeith currently holds the Guinness World Records title for the oldest dog living.”
His owner, Gisela Shore, rescued him from a shelter when he was just a puppy. Now, TobyKeith has far outlived the average life expectancy of a chihuahua, which is between 12 and 18 years.
She describes him as, “sweet, gentle, loving, and my little bodyguard,” and believes that TobyKeith’s long life can be attributed to genetics, a healthy diet, and having a loving home.
She told USA Today: “The thought that my little guy has reached such a milestone is fantastic! I am thrilled.”
Speaking to Guinness World Records, Shore said: “I love the recognition of knowing that he has had a healthy long life with me as his mommy.
“We adore him so much and achieving this record is a testimony of the loving home we have provided for him. TobyKeith is such a blessing. I am so lucky to still have him in my life.”
He is a big brother to Luna, a seven-year-old American bulldog, and Lala, a three-year-old Chinese crested.
While TobyKeith is the oldest living dog at 21, the oldest dog to ever have lived (on record) is Bluey, an Australian cattle-dog from Australia, who lived to be 29 years and five months old.
He worked as a cattle and sheep dog for nearly 20 years before dying in 1939, at nearly 30 years old.
But Brian McLaren, a dairy farmer from Australia, believes that his dog, Maggie the Kelpie, was the world’s oldest dog at 30 years old.
Maggie, who died in 2016, was said to have been 30 years old, but as her owner didn’t have her original paperwork, her age couldn’t be verified.
