Meet the 10 Oldest Dogs Who Ever Lived

Bobi was recently crowned the Guinness World Records' oldest living dog ever, but he's had many predecessors who also lived fruitful lives.

We did the math. According to the American Kennel Club, 15 human years equates to the first year of a medium-sized dog’s life, and nine human years, for their second year. Each year after that is about five human years. That makes Bobi, the pup who currently holds the title of world’s oldest dog, about 164.

Many pet owners have claimed to own dogs that lived to be in their late 20s, but few have the paperwork to confirm it. Bobi’s owner, fortunately, got the dog recognized by the Guiness Book of World Records as the oldest dog ever at 30 years and 266 days old as of Feb. 1, 2023. Bobi, along with these nine other dogs, are the oldest dogs on record. If only they could live as long as humans, so we’d never have to say goodbye.

10. TobyKeith

Guinness World Records

Birth year: 2001

Age: 22 years and counting

Status: Living

Home country: United States

Breed: Chihuahua

TobyKeith was adopted by Florida resident Gisela Shore in 2001. While his date of birth is unknown, his adoption records prove he’s at least 22. He was originally named Peanut Butter, surrendered to the shelter Shore worked at by an elderly couple when he was just a puppy. His previous owner couldn’t handle caring for the 2-pound, high-energy pup, so Shore adopted him.

His name was changed because Shore happened to be going to a Toby Keith concert and thought it would be hilarious to name the tiny dog after the 6-foot-4 country star. TobyKeith has two canine siblings, a 7-year-old bulldog and a 3-year-old Chinese crested that keep him young at heart.

9. Gino Hammerstrike Gilgamesh Wolf

Guinness World Records

Birth year: 2000

Age: 22 years and counting

Status: Living

Home country: United States

Breed: Chihuahua/American Eskimo mix

A Los Angeles pupper, Gino the Chihuahua mix, was born on Septl. 24, 2000. He was adopted by Alex Wolf, then a college student at the University of Colorado Boulder, when Gino was 2. Gino returned to L.A. with Wolf every summer, then moved there full-time after Wolf graduated.

Gino loves exploring the beach cities, walking off-leash in Venice and sticking his head out the car window on hot summer days.

8. Pebbles

Guinness World Records

Birth year: 2000

Age: 22 years, 189 days

Status: Died Oct. 3, 2022

Home country: United States

Breed: Toy fox terrier

Pebbles was only recognized as the world’s oldest dog for a few months, shortly after TobyKeith was given the title. The tiny toy fox terrier was born on March 28, 2000. Unlike most of the pets on this list, she was also a mom. She had 32 puppies during her lifetime, and her owner considered her to be an irreplaceable companion.

She only weighed 4 pounds, but she loved food, country music and spending time with her family.

7. Spike

Guinness World Records

Birth year: 1999

Age: 23 years and counting

Status: Living

Home country: United States

Breed: Chihuahua mix

Spike was crowned the oldest living dog on Dec. 7, 2022, just a few months before Bobi blew him out of the water in terms of age. Spike, a stocky Chihuahua mix from Ohio, was born in the late 1990s. He was found by his current owner, Rita Kimball, abandoned in a grocery store parking lot about 10 years later.

Spike jumped right into her car like he belonged, despite having multiple injuries. The rest is history. The pint-sized pooch weighs less than 13 pounds, but he’s now a tiny celebrity in his hometown.

6. Bramble

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Birth year: 1978

Age: 24-25

Status: Died March 31, 2003

Home country: United Kingdom

Breed: Border collie

Border collies are known for living a long time for a dog — 14 to 17 years is a normal lifespan for them, but 25 is exceptional. Some reports indicate Bramble was 25 years and 89 days old when she passed on, but others indicate her exact date of birth was unconfirmed.

Interestingly, Bramble was best known for eating an almost exclusively vegan diet. Her owner fed her only vegetables, grains, legumes and other plant sources. Whether a meat-free diet is wise for a dog built to be omnivorous, the lack of processed, mass-produced pet food likely helped boost her longevity. Her owner believed in her care regimen so much that she wrote a book about it.

5. Buksi

Sarreti Pegazus / Facebook

Birth year: 1990

Age: 26-27

Status: Died Aug. 26, 2017

Home country: Hungary

Breed: Mixed breed

Buksi is proof that the oldest dogs don’t have to be purebreds. Buksi, a shepherd cross of some sort, was famous in Hungary, especially on social media.

The mostly white mutt was even studied by a university research group to evaluate how dogs age mentally compared to humans. The videos of the testing process are intriguing.

4. Adjutant

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Birth year: 1936

Age: 27 years, 98 days

Status: Died Nov. 20, 1963

Home country: United Kingdom

Breed: Labrador retriever

Adjutant is somewhat of an exception to the typical list of oldest dog breeds. Most long-lived dogs are either tiny or an active herding breed. Labrador retrievers aren’t known for having exceptionally long lifespans.

After all, 10 to 12 is average for them, but Adjutant lived from the end of the Great Depression through the election of President Kennedy.

3. Taffy

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Birth year: 1975

Age: 27 years, 211 days

Status: Died March 31, 2003

Home country: United Kingdom

Breed: Welsh collie

One of Britain’s oldest dogs, Taffy was mentioned in the 1998 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records. Taffy was a cross between a Welsh sheepdog and a border collie. This continues the noticeable trend of intelligent, active dog breeds reaching exceptional ages. Fresh air and space to run must do a dog some good!

2. Bluey

Wikimedia Commons

Birth year: 1910

Age: 29 years, 160 days

Status: Died Nov. 14, 1939

Home country: Australia

Breed: Australian cattle dog

Bluey, born in 1910 in Rochester, Australia, could have lived long enough to graduate from college, start a career and have few of kids. He didn’t because, well, he was a dog, but he did plenty in his 29 years. For about 20 of those years, Bluey was rounding up cattle and sheep, as Australian cattle dogs are designed to do. The breed is known for longevity, likely due to their extremely active lifestyles.

Another Aussie pup, Maggie, was reportedly 30 years old when she died. She was an Australian Kelpie born in 1986, who worked on a dairy farm from puppyhood. Unfortunately, her owner lost her paperwork, so no official record could be confirmed.

1. Bobi

Guinness World Records

Birth year: 1992

Age: 30 years and counting

Status: Living

Home country: Portugal

Breed: Rafeiro do Alentejo

It’s official. Bluey has been dethroned as the world’s oldest living dog. That title now belongs to Bobi, a pup of a rare Portuguese breed that barely survived his puppyhood. He was born in a woodshed when his owner, Leonel Costa, was just a kid. His father got rid of the puppies since the family could not keep them all, but Costa hid one and kept it a secret until it was too old for his parents to do away with.

After a miraculous rescue, Bobi thrived. He was only expected to live the usual 12 to 14 years, but the roaming outdoor dog has lasted more than double that time. He’s still kicking, in part thanks to human-grade food, lots of exercise and even more love.