The Guinness Book of Records has named an Elderly dog, who is 22 years old, as the oldest living dog in the world.
Although the dog’s owner Alex Wolf of Colorado, USA, adopted him from a rescue shelter in 2002, more than 20 years ago, he was actually born on September 24, 2000, two years earlier.
Alex, who is now 40 years old, claims to have met him while attending a California university.
Speaking to Today, Alex said; ‘He’s been there every step of the way. ‘I’m so glad we got him. He’s the best.
‘If we were having a later night, he would stay up, and if I was sleeping in, he would sleep in. He was one of the guys.’
Asked what he thought was the secret to his longevity, he said: ‘I give him all the credit. He’s gotten a lot of love, and I think he’s just a strong dog. He’s been there every step of the way. I’m so glad we got him. He’s the best.’
Alex had intended to have a larger dog than 7kg Gino when he originally went to the animal shelter to get a puppy.
However, once he met the dog, he realized he was the one and never turned around.
He said: ‘I’ve taken great care of him over the years and he is still in relatively very good shape…and really cute still which is surprising considering his age!’
Despite his accomplishment, Gino wasn’t the oldest dog ever recorded.
Bluey, an Australian cattle dog who lived to be 29 years old before being euthanized in 1939, holds the record for the longest lifespan.
A medium-sized dog typically lives 10 to 13 years.