An abandoned dog ended up becoming a Guinness World Record holder

Spike, a chihuahua crossbreed who had been callously abandoned by his owner in a supermarket car park, is now 23 years old. But his senior age doesn’t stop this cheeky pooch from enjoying life. In fact, it made him a Guinness World Record holder as the oldest living dog.

Spike proved to be a survivor

A 23-year-old chihuahua cross breed Spike from Camden, Ohio, United States was taken in by Rita Kimball and her family after they found the pooch abandoned in a supermarket car park in August 2009. The pup was ‘severely neglected’ and distressed.

But despite the dog being in the condition he was, as soon as she opened the car door Spike jumped right in and sat on the seat, ‘as if he knew where we were going’. According to Kimball, it was ‘meant to be’.

The lucky pet spent many happy years with his new owners.

He proved to be a fighter, having survived multiple attacks from other animals despite being given a low chance of survival each time.

Despite his respectable age, almost blind and hard of hearing, Spike is still waking up at 7am on most days and visiting horses and cows on the family's farm.

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⋙ A starving dog ‘with every bone visible’ was locked up in the filth by its cruel owner

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‘They look at him like a celebrity’

But it was pure chance that led to Spike becoming a celebrity.

One day Ms Kimball happened to watch The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon episode which featured a picture of a former Guinness World Record-holding oldest living dog. She realised that the pooch was younger than her Spike which meant her sweet-natured pet had a shot at getting the title.

The super senior pooch achieved it on December 7, 2022.

Kimball commented:

Most of our family knew that Spike was old, but (they) didn’t know he had a shot at being the oldest in the world.

Now that he is a (Guinness World Records title) holder, they look at him like a celebrity. They can’t believe he lived this long.

The kindhearted owner believes that Spike is still here because, after having such a terrible life at first, he ‘makes the best of every day’. He now sees his rewards in his later years.

The previous record Guinness World Record holder for the oldest dog living was Gino Wolf, who achieved the record at 22 years and 52 days, which was verified on November 15, 2022.

Sources used:

- Evening Standard: 'Chihuahua cross found abandoned in car park named world’s oldest living dog'