When Rita Kimball found Spike in the parking lot of a Camden, Ohio, grocery store, she had no idea the little Chihuahua would become the world’s oldest living dog.
Standing at 9 inches tall and weighing 12.9 pound, the record holding pooch is 23 years and 7 days old as of December 7, 2022.
When Kimball found Spike, he had been shaved up his back, had blood stains around his neck from a chain or rope, and “looked pretty rough.”
“The clerk in the grocery told us he had been there for three days, and they were feeding him scraps.”
Not knowing who Spike belonged to, she decided to take the pup home to join the rest of the herd on her small farm.
Having spending a pretty easy life on the farm with Kimball and her other pets, she said it was during an episode of Jimmy Fallon when she heard the news of former oldest living dog, Pebbles and realized that Spike was actually older.
“Most of our family knew that Spike was old but didn’t know he had a shot at being the oldest in the world,” said Rita. “Now that he is a record holder, they see him as a celebrity.”
Kimball advises those with fuzzy friends to give their pet a healthy diet, room to roam, daily exercise, and unlimited love and attention.
