A Chihuahua Honored as World's Oldest Dog by Guinness

VIVA – A chihuahua mix “su-paw-star” from Ohio has now claimed the Guinness World Record as the World’s oldest living dog. This dog named Spike turned 23 years old and 26 days on Thursday, January 19, 2023.

Spike comes from Camden, a small town with a population of just over 2,000 people in the Dayton area. Guinness World Records North America said Spike, the new record-holding pooch, stands at 9 inches tall and weighs just under 13 pounds.

About ten years ago, Rita Kimball first saw a dog wandering in the parking lot of a grocery store. Employees there had been feeding the dog scraps for days, and he was not in a good place.

"His back was shaved, there were blood stains on his neck from a chain or rope, and he looked really rough. The clerk at the grocery store told us he had been there for three days, and they gave him leftovers ... When we left the store and entered the parking lot, he followed," Rita Kimball was recalled when adopted Spike.

Not knowing who Spike belonged to, Guinness reports, Kimball took the little dog home to join the rest of the pack on his small farm.

Although he was "small and friendly", Kimball said, he had a big attitude. So he named him Spike. In fact, the only time Spike had his famous chihuahua personality was when he was being petted by strangers, according to Kimball.

"He's friendly but because he's almost blind and deaf, he gets irritable sometimes and just wants to be left alone," she says.

On summer weekends, Spike likes to go for walks with his mom in their hometown. Nearly blind and deaf Spike makes himself at home with his family, waking up at 7 am most days and visiting the animals on the Kimball farm, including horses, cows, and cats.

"He visits the animals in the barn: cows, horses, and barn cats," says his owner.