Golden Retriever Turns 20 And Becomes Oldest Dog Ever Recorded
All golden retriever experts know that this breed has a life expectancy of about 10 to 12 years, and while some have lived to be 14 or 15 years old, Augie, the golden retriever, just celebrated her 20th birthday and she’s still going strong! According to the American Kennel Club, golden retrievers are classified as a friendly, intelligent, and devoted breed that has a life expectancy of 10-12 years so our pooch Augie, who just celebrated her 20th birthday, is now 79 years old in human years! Augie lives in Oakland, Tennessee and according to her mommy, Jennifer, apart from some kidney problems and shakiness due to her age, Augie is still a puppy at heart.
Augie was rehomed twice and when she was 14 years old Jennifer and Steve Hetterscheidt adopted her and gave her a forever loving home as well as three golden retriever siblings – Sherman, Belle, and Bruce. As for breaking the Guinness World Records, since there are no separate categories for different dog breeds, Augie would take the 19th spot on the list of the oldest dogs ever recorded. According to Jennifer, Augie often stumbles, but a steady grip is enough for her to get up and get going and although she’s easy to care for, the couple keeps an eye on her the moment they’re awake. Remember we told you how Augie is 79 years in human years?
Previously people used to multiply a dog’s age by seven to get their dog’s age in human years, but science no longer supports that theory. According to experts, dogs age differently, and each breed has it’s own expected lifespan so generalizing all breeds by the same equation, i.e. 1 dog year = 7 human years, is incorrect. Last year, scientists came up with a new way to calculate a dog’s age. They believe that a dog’s age should be calculated with an equation that relies on their rate of DNA methylation, and so, if the same formula is applied to 20-year-old Augie, the result is 78.9 human years. Yes, please take a moment to soak that in – if Augie was physically a human, she would be 79 years old! Not too bad, right?
Experts have reason to think that once dogs reach maturity, their rate of aging slows down significantly. Much like Augie, all domestic animals tend to live longer than animals in the wild simply because they face fewer predators and are well cared for by their humans. Having said that, scientists believe that larger dogs grow old faster and are also more prone to cancers and musculoskeletal diseases. So if Augie holds the 19th spot in the Guinness World Records, who tops the spot? The top spot belongs to Bluey, an Australian cattle-dog who crossed the rainbow bridge on the 14th of November 1939, when he was 29 years old!
Coming back to Augie, well, this pooch loves munching on blueberries and traveling in the family’s R.V. Previously, the couple had decided to throw a party and invite 100 guests to celebrate her 20th birthday, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they celebrated her big milestone with a dog-friendly carrot cake. According to Steve, their sweet girl Augie is still quite alert and pays attention to her surroundings, even when she’s laying down! You go, girl! Happy birthday!
If you could, what would you gift Augie on her 20th birthday? Let us know in the comments below. Don’t forget to share this article with your friends!
