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The 8 Oldest Dogs Ever Lived

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  • The oldest dog ever recorded is Bluey, an Australian Cattle Dog living in Rochester, Victoria, Australia. Bluey lived to be 29 years and 5 months. She lived a very active life, working with sheep and cattle, which may have contributed to her longevity.
  • Butch the Beagle from Virginia, USA was once the Guinness Book of World Records winner for the longest-lived dog. He lived from 1975 until 2003; over 28 years old.
  • Bramble, a border collie who lived to be 25 years old, lived on a strict vegetarian diet of vegetables, lentils, rice and other plants. Bramble tends to be eaten only once a day.

What is the longest-lived dog in the world? Lots of claims can be found on the internet about one breed lasting longer than another. However, the oldest surviving dogs of some very popular breeds actually lived to be about the same age as each other.

To fully understand a dog's age, the "dog years" formula must be applied. However, the old theory that one year for a dog = seven years for a person is no longer supported by scientific research. Different breeds of dogs age differently, with small dogs generally living longer than large dogs. The original formula was based on a ratio assuming an average lifespan of 70 years for humans and 10 years for dogs. Based on current research, the American Kennel Club offers the following formula for calculating a dog's age:

  • 15 years is equivalent to the first year of a medium-sized dog's life.
  • A dog's second year is roughly equal to a human's nine years.
  • After that, each year for humans is about five years for dogs.
senior boxer
Certain dog breeds have a longer life expectancy than others. Boxers usually live 7-10 years.

©Holly Michele/Shutterstock.com

While there are certain factors that can make one breed live longer on average than others, the truth is that a little luck and the right conditions can keep many breeds of animals alive for decades. Here, we'll take a look at the world's longest-lived dog and several other senior puppies of different popular breeds, explaining what makes them so special.

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#8. Bramble border collie

Oldest Dog: Bramble Border Collie
A Border Collie, like Bramble, lying on the grass. Bramble loves to go for walks and often spends two hours a day with her owners.

©Lucia Horvath Photography/Shutterstock.com

Every dog on this list is special, or stands out for some reason. Bramble is no exception, and this animal from the UK is known for being vegan. He only eats vegetables, lentils, rice and other plants. Also interesting is that Bramble tends to be eaten only once a day.

The Border Collie breed is known for dogs that live a little longer than average. It's not uncommon for them to live to be 14 to 17 years old. However, they rarely lived to the age of 25 years and 89 days as Bramble did.

#7. Pusuke the Shiba Inu Mix

Oldest Dog: Pusuke the Shiba Inu Mix
One of the oldest dogs ever lived, Pusuke is a Shiba Inu mix. The Shiba Inu is one of the oldest dog breeds, dating back to the 3rd century BC.

©Trybex/Shutterstock.com

Pusuke is from Japan and has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-lived dog in existence. As a Shiba Inu hybrid, he should have a fairly long age, as their average lifespan is 12 to 15 years.

However, the famous animal lived from April 1985 until December 2011, a lifespan of 26 years and 248 days. It's been an impressive run. Due to his popularity in Japan and abroad, the dog was covered by various media at the time of his death.

#6. Buksi mongrel

Oldest Dog: Buksi the Mongrel
A beautiful white shepherd cross dog similar to Buksi, one of the oldest dogs, stands in a park.

© Volodymyr Herasymchuk/Shutterstock.com

Buksi has been known for some time as Hungary's longest-living dog, and he has more followers than most on social media. Lived from 1990 until 2017, the dog ranked sixth on our list at the age of 27.

Even after his death, the dog gained a bit of fame. He was studied by ELTE University because of his longevity, and videos of this process are readily available on the Internet.

#5. Adjutant Labrador Retriever

Oldest Dog: Labrador Retriever Adjutant
A black labrador retriever, like Adjutant, in the forest. Adjutant is an officially registered male Lab and the seventh oldest known dog in history.

©Al_Er/Shutterstock.com

On this list, Snookie narrowly beat out No. 5 Adjutant. The adjutant lived from 1936 to 1963, a total of 27 years and 98 days.

Although he ranks fifth on the list, he may be the most impressive dog of the bunch. The reason is that he is a Labrador Retriever, which has a shorter average lifespan than the others we've seen here. The average lifespan is between 10 and 12 years, which makes the lifespan of over 27 years even more impressive.

#4. pug snowy

Oldest Dog: Snookie the Pug
A happy pug, like Snookie, runs across the grass. If you need a charming, funny and affectionate companion, the Pug is the one for you.

© Khilenko Anastasiia/Shutterstock.com

Snookie is number four on our list. Since she only passed away in October 2018, she stands out for being a recent addition to the list. This pug has been around since early 1991. Altogether, this puts her in existence for 27 years and 284 days. Living this long is pretty remarkable since the average lifespan of the pug breed is only 13 to 14 years.

She lives in South Africa and is the only dog from Africa on this list. In her home country, pugs sell for close to $2,000. Not bad for best friends, right? Pugs tend to stay put for a while and are known for living longer than other breeds. Snookie was even entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for being one of the oldest dogs ever lived.

#3. Welsh Shepherd Taffy

Oldest Dog: Taffy the Welsh Shepherd
Taffy is a Welsh Shepherd, like this dog who took agility classes. Welsh Sheepdogs (or Welsh Sheepdogs) are one of the most intelligent breeds and are extremely easy to train, making them perfect working dogs.

© story_of_one_wolf/Shutterstock.com

In 1998, Toffee was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records as one of the oldest dogs in existence. He is a Welsh Sheepdog, a cross between a Welsh Sheepdog and a Border Collie. Once again, we see the theme of the oldest dogs from intelligent breeds.

Toffee can live to 27 years and 211 days. He is from England.

#2. Butch, the oldest Beagle

Oldest Dog: Butch, the Oldest Beagle
Butch as a Beagle, like this dog on an early morning walk. Beagles were originally bred as scent hounds to track small game, primarily rabbits and hares.

© iStock.com/androsov58

Interestingly, the number two spot was a Beagle named Butch. We say it's funny because he has something in common with Bluey. The breed is small in size and both breeds are known to produce intelligent dogs.

Butch is from Virginia, USA. What makes Butch stand out on this list is that he once held the Guinness World Records title for the longest-lived dog that was alive when he officially claimed the title. He died just over 28 years old from 1975 to 2003, but information about Bluey's discovery later ended his time on the list.

#1. Bluey, the longest-lived dog ever

Oldest dog: Bluey
An Australian Cattle Dog stands on a rock. The largest reliable age record for a dog is 29 years and 5 months for an Australian Cattle Dog named Bluey owned by Les Hall of Rochester, Victoria.

©Madelein Wolfaardt/Shutterstock.com

Bluey is the oldest dog name reliably recorded. She was an Australian Cattle Dog who lived to be 29 years and 5 months old.

As she died in 1939, there are not many detailed records about her. What we do know, however, is that she lives in Rochester, Victoria, Australia. She is a very busy dog and has worked with sheep and cattle for over twenty years. This active life may have contributed to her longevity, as we know that regular exercise is important to a dog's health.

What's really interesting about Bluey is that she drives research into the breed. The findings suggest that Australian Cattle Dogs live about a year longer than other similarly sized dog breeds. However, their average lifespan is still only about 13.4 years, less than half of Bluey's lifespan.

Roundup of the 8 Oldest Dogs Ever Lived

rank dog age
1 Australian Cattle Dog Bluey 29 years and 5 months
2 butch beagle 28 years old
3 Welsh Shepherd Taffy 27 years and 211 days
4 pug snowy 27 years and 284 days
5 Adjutant Labrador Retriever 27 years and 98 days
6 Buksi mongrel 27 years
7 Pusuke the Shiba Inu Mix 26 years and 248 days
8 Bramble border collie 25 years and 89 days
Deer head chihuahua outdoors, during sunset
The Deer Head Chihuahua is one of the longest-living breeds, living up to 20 years.

©TanyaC Photography/Shutterstock.com

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heather ross


Heather Ross is a middle school English teacher and mother of 2 people, 2 tuxedo cats and a golden doodle. In between taking the kids to soccer practice and grading homework, she loves reading and writing about all things animals!

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