Meet the World's Oldest Dog; 145 Years Old

A new World's Oldest Dog has been named by Guinness World Records and it's Otto, a dachshund-terrier mixed dog who lives in England. Otto is 20 years and 8 months old. His owner, Lynn Jones of Shrewsbury, England has had Otto since he was six weeks old.


Though nearly 21 with a touch of arthritis, Otto "doesn't really like walkies any more," Lynn remarks. "He gets about ten yards down the road then looks back over his shoulder as if to say 'I want to go home.' [But] he can still jump all over people when they come round."


What is Otto's secret to longevity? Lynn says,"Plenty of love, plenty of good food and regular check-ups at the vets."

Meet Otto

World Oldest Dog

A wire-haired dachshund that held the record as the world's oldest dog and celebrated its last birthday with a party at a dog hotel and spa has died at age 21 — or 147 in dog years.

The dog, named Chanel, died Friday of natural causes at her owners' home in suburban Port Jefferson Station, on Long Island.

Chanel, as stylish as her legendary namesake, wore tinted goggles for her cataracts in her later years and favored sweaters because she was sensitive to the cold, owners Denice and Karl Shaughnessy said Monday.

The playful dachshund was only 6 weeks old when Denice Shaughnessy, then serving with the U.S. Army, adopted her from a shelter in Newport News, Va.

Along with her owner, Chanel spent nine years on assignment in Germany, where she became adept at stealing sticks of butter from kitchen counter tops and hiding them in sofa cushions in the living room, Shaughnessy said. She also liked chocolate, usually considered toxic to dogs, Shaughnessy said.

"She once ate an entire bag of Reese's peanut butter cups, and, you see, she lived to be 21, so go figure," Shaughnessy added.

Karl Shaughnessy nominated Chanel for the title of world's oldest dog after noticing the Guinness World Records book had no record.

Guinness World Records officials presented Chanel with a certificate as the world's oldest dog at a Manhattan birthday bash hosted by a private pet food company in May.

Chanel loved the party, especially the cake, which had a peanut butter flavor and had been made for dogs, Denice Shaughnessy said.

Chanel exercised daily and ate home-cooked chicken with her dog food, but good care wasn't entirely responsible for her long life, said her owners, who attributed God.

"Dogs are God's angels sent here to look out for us," Denice Shaughnessy said.

When asked the secret to her dog's long life, Denice said she was shocked he's still with her.

"I have five kids, and all my kids are grown and gone," she said. "Now my grand kids are playing with this dog."

World's Longest Dog Ears

What breed of dog do you think holds the Guinness World Record for longest ears?

Do you know the two functions of the ears?

Answer to the first question will be found by watching this video of the dog with the world's longest ears.

And the second question:

The two main functions of the ear are to detect sound and allow for hearing, and to maintain balance.

How did you score?