Pebbles, a toy fox terrier, has been crowned as the oldest living dog in the world.
She was awarded the Guinness World Record this month, reports The Guardian.
Born on March 28, 2000, Pebbles is 22 years old – making her older than TobyKeith, the 21-year-old chihuahua from Florida who was only recently named the champion.
When Bobby and Julie Gregory of South Carolina, US, the owners of Pebbles, saw a news report about TobyKeith, they realized their own dog was older.
“Bobby was sitting on the couch and friends and family started texting and calling about a story they saw about a 21-year-old dog getting the record,” Julie said.
“When I saw TobyKeith’s story all over the news, I applied [for the record],” Julie told Guinness World Records.
The couple was looking for a large-breed dog back in 2000 when they came across Pebbles instead.
“She was jumping and barking so much at Bobby that he had no choice but to pick her up and check her out,” Julie said. “It was instant love the second the two met.”
The Gregorys told Guinness World Records that Pebbles was typically calm but could be irritable if woken.
Pebbles enjoys listening to country music, getting cuddles and sleeping until 5pm.
“Pebbles is like a wild teen who loves to sleep during the day and is up all night,” said Julie, adding: “Her two favourite country singers are Conway Twitty and Dwight Yoakam.”
Pebbles marked her 22nd birthday this year with a bubble bath and a meal of ribs.
“Most of the people that know Pebbles cannot believe how long she has lived,” said Julie.
