- The Guinness World Records has named the world's oldest dog — a 23-year-old Chihuahua named Spike.
- Spike was originally found at 10 years old in the parking lot of a Camden, Ohio, grocery store.
Guinness World Records has officially crowned the world's oldest living dog: a Chihuahua named Spike. The pup became the record holder on December 7, 2022, aged 23 years and 43 days old.
According to Guinness World Records, Spike's journey to superstardom started unexpectedly. Guinness World Records said Spike's owner, Rita Kimball, found him in a parking lot of a Camden, Ohio, grocery store around 13 years ago when Spike was approximately 10 years old.
Kimball said Spike "looked pretty rough" when she found him in the parking lot, and upon hearing from a clerk that he'd been there for three days, she decided to take him home.
It's unclear if he had a previous owner, but Guinness World Records wrote on Facebook that Spike's age was "based on a range of evidence, including documents from several veterinarians, who all estimated the same approximate date of birth between July and November of 1999 for Spike."
At 23 years old, Spike is older than many college students — and could probably be considered part of Gen Z.
Kimball told Guinness World Records that Spike, who is now almost blind and has poor hearing, sticks to a strict routine and visits cows, horses, and barn cats in her rural town.
"When he was younger, he tried intimidating the cows and horses by barking and trying to chase them," she said. "Now they just stare at him and don't even move."
Guinness World Records announced Spike's record Thursday, with many fans showering the Chihuahua with congratulatory messages.
One such comment came from Toto Johnson, the owner of a previous Guinness World Record oldest living dog. Toto shared a collage of him with his Rat Terrier Jake, who held the record after his 21st birthday on July 21, 2015.