The old saying goes that every dog has its day, but it just so happens Spike has had the most.
Spike is a 23-year-old chihuahua mix hailing from Camden, Ohio, and has inked his name into the Guinness Book of World Records for being the oldest living dog on record — 161 years old in dog years, if those are to be believed.
“The record-holding su-paw-star, who was 23 years and 7 days old as of 7 December 2022, stands at 9 inches tall and weighs just 12.9 pounds,” Guinness reported. “In general, though, he was great with the grandkids and never bit a stranger. His little tail still wags when people talk to him. He visits with the animals in the barn: cows, horses, and barn cats.”
Spike’s owner, Rita Kimball, was watching an episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon when she realized the uniqueness of her pooch. The talk show was celebrating a toy fox terrier named Pebbles, purportedly the world’s oldest dog. However, Pebbles was actually younger than Spike. Kimball took action to see that Spike received his flowers being the eldest pooch.
Years ago, when Spike was 10 years old, Kimball found him all alone in a grocery store parking lot in Camden. She did not know that 13 years after that the little chihuahua would still be her friend, let alone be the oldest dog alive.
“The clerk in the grocery told us he had been there for three days, and they were feeding him scraps,” Kimball told Guinness. “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.”
Spike’s owner wasn’t found, and Kimball took him home and introduced him to the rest of the animals on her farm.
Spike follows a daily routine. During the summer, he hikes with Kimball in the small town where they live.
“If it’s a good day, he will chase a cat or two,” Kimball said of her best friend, according to Guinness.
After his walk, Spike relaxes on the porch and gets ready for the day while Kimball makes herself a cup of coffee. Spike usually looks forward to taking a bath on Saturday night after a hard week of work on the farm.
He sometimes has bratwurst with cheese for dinner and sometimes eats his favorite potato chips as a treat. Spike also likes to relax, play cat-and-mouse with Foxxy, the family housecat, and hide his stuffed fox around the house.
Though Spike enjoys the occasional brat and chips, Kimball advises pet owners to provide their pets with a healthy diet, plenty of space to roam, daily exercise, and unending love and attention. She also feels karma has something to do with Spike’s longevity.
“I believe Spike is still here because after having such a terrible life at first, he makes the best of each day,” she told Guinness.