A new world record for the world’s oldest dog has been officially certified in Florida: meet TobyKeith, a chihuahua who was born on January 9, 2001, and has been alive for 21 years.
In fact, Gisela Shore has lived with TobyKeith for the most of his life, having adopted him from a shelter when he was young.
“I was volunteering at Peggy Adams Animal Rescue at the time, and one of the staff informed me about an elderly couple who was attempting to surrender a puppy because they were unable to care for him any longer,” Gisela said to the Guinness Book of World Records.
The old couple presented me to a little brown Chihuahua, and I was immediately taken in by the dog. Peanut Butter was the nickname given to him by his friends. “I eventually changed his name to TobyKeith,” says the author.
TobyKeith has developed a deep bond with Gisela’s umbrella cockatoo Coco, who is 28 years old and with whom he often wanders about the house. Aside from that, he likes eating slices of turkey, taking short walks, and sleeping next to Gisela’s work station as she works from home with her computer.
TobyKeith had a bath, had his nails cut, and then went on a vehicle trip, which is one of his favorite treats, on the day that Guinness certified that he was the world’s oldest dog.