Meet the World's Oldest Dog! Spike Is a 23-Year-Old Chihuahua … – PEOPLE

Digital News Writer, PEOPLE
Rita Kimball's pet is a Doritos-loving, porch-napping chihuahua — and he just so happens to be the newly crowned world's oldest dog!
The 23-year-old rescue pup named Spike earned the Guinness World Records title of World’s Oldest Living Dog on Thursday, the organization announced, displacing previous title holder Gino, a 22-year-old mixed breed pup from Los Angeles.
"Most of our family knew that Spike was old but didn't know he had a shot at being the oldest in the world," Kimball said. "Now that he is a record holder, they see him as a celebrity."
About ten years ago, the Ohio woman first laid eyes on the dog, who was loitering in the parking lot of a grocery store.
Employees there had been feeding the dog scraps for days, and he was clearly not in a good place.
"He had been shaved up his back, had blood stains around his neck from a chain or rope, and looked pretty rough," Rita recalled.
But after opening the car door for the pup upon leaving the store, the tiny pooch jumped right in — and Rita and her family have been calling him a family member ever since.
"Spike was a name for a large dog," she said. "My guy was small, but he had the attitude of a big dog."
In the decade-plus since meeting his forever family, the canine has called a small farm in rural Ohio home. Here, he dotes on the cows and horses and makes time for his favorite things: eating special meals of sausage and cheese (and crushed-up Doritos), taking Saturday night baths, and playing with Rita's pet cat.
Rita told Guinness that Spike's set schedule — in addition to "a healthy diet, room to roam, daily exercise, and unlimited love and attention" — is one of the reasons behind the dog's longevity.
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She added: "I believe Spike is still here because after having such a terrible life at first, he makes the best of each day."
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