Animals and Insects

Spike, the new world's oldest dog, is a Chihuahua who loves Doritos

Spike, age 23, was in rough shape when Rita Kimball found him in a parking lot 13 years ago.

World's new oldest dog is Spike, a Chihuahua.
Guinness World Records
Article by Tricia Goss
SMS
January 20, 2023

TobyKeith has been dethroned as the world’s oldest dog, and another chihuahua mix has taken the title. Guinness World Records has named Spike, who lives in Ohio with his “mom” Rita Kimball, the “oldest dog living.”

Spike reportedly turned 23 years old in November. Guinness, the global authority on all things record-breaking, announced the new record holder on Jan. 19.

“Say hello to the new oldest dog in the world!” Guinness World Records wrote in a Facebook post. “The record holding su-paw-star, who was 23 years and 43 days old as of 7 December 2022, stands at 9 inches (22.86 cm) tall and weighs just 12.9 pounds (5.85 kg).”

Kimball found Spike in the parking lot of a grocery store more than a decade ago and decided to take him home.

“He had been shaved up his back, had blood stains around his neck from a chain or rope, and looked pretty rough,” she told Guinness. “The clerk in the grocery told us he had been there for three days, and they were feeding him scraps.”

Kimball told Guinness that when they came back out and opened the car door to put their grandson in his car seat, Spike jumped in, too.

“It was meant to be,” she said.

His birthdate is Nov. 10, 1999, according to a vet.

“Spike’s age is based on a range of evidence, including documents from several veterinarians, who all estimated the same approximate date of birth between July and November of 1999 for Spike,” Guinness replied to a Facebook comment asking how they could be sure of his age. “This was based on his medical condition, including his teeth and eyes.”

Kimball named the pooch after a big, tough cartoon dog as a humorous contradiction to his size and demeanor.

“He is friendly, but since he’s almost blind and hard of hearing, he gets testy at times and just wants to be left alone,” Kimball told Guinness.

Spike enjoys walks, visiting the other animals on the family’s farm, his weekly bath, napping and the occasional snack. His favorite treat?

“In his early years, he loved Doritos,” Kimball told Guinness. “He liked them crunched up and would eat the cheese Doritos every time we had them.”