Dogs don’t live as long as humans – it is a sad fact that pet owners have to accept and cope with. There are general lifespan guidelines for each breed but the average lifespan of a dog is between 10 and 15 years. Some dogs, however, live much longer as is the case for Skippy who is now popularly known as the ‘oldest dog in Ireland’. The black and white Border Collie is said to be 26 years old as his owner claims. In case you’re wondering how old this canine is, his age is equivalent to human age between 130 and 145 years.
According to the Guinness World Records, the oldest reliable age recorded for a dog is 29 years which is held by an Australian Cattle Dog named Bluey. The record-holder was born in 1910 and died on 1939 after working as a herding dog for almost 30 years. Skippy has the best shot at breaking the world record as he will be turning 27 this year. His owner, 84-year-old Pat Geraghty from Belmullet, County Mayo on the west coast of Ireland, claims he obtained the Border Collie from a breeder in the summer of 1995. Unfortunately, Geraghty doesn’t hold any official records to confirm the dog’s exact age, making it impossible to verify his claim.
Skippy, The 26-Year-Old Border Collie Is The Oldest Dog In Ireland
This is my neighbor Pat and his dog Skippy.
Skippy was born in 1996! Yes 1996. pic.twitter.com/ga06AncoFS— Fergus Sweeney (@FergusMaSuibhne) February 14, 2022
The only supporting evidence they have are the testimonies by their neighbors who remember Skippy as a puppy on Geraghty’s farm in the 1990s. One of Geraghty’s neighbor is photojournalist Fergus Sweeney who tweeted a photo of Geraghty and Skippy along with the claim that the dog was born in 1996. The Twitter post drew skepticism from social media users, many of whom are asking for official records to prove the claim. Others even say it’s unbelievable for a dog that age to be in great condition.
On another post, Sweeney said that the closest he could verify is another neighbor who remembers Skippy chasing their car some 20 years ago. Despite ‘looking good’ on the pictures, Geraghty revealed that his senior farm dog could barely stand up on his own and has lost his hearing. For working as a dependable farm dog for nearly 30 years, age is apparently catching up to him. But his human is committed to return the favor for his dog’s loyalty and unfailing service as a herding dog.
“We’re good buddies,” says his human. “It’s my turn to look after him now, you know. He’s been good to me when he’s had his health but he’s down and out now and I have to give him water four times a day and feed him three times a day—but I don’t mind.”
Closest I can verify is a neighbour who remembers Skippy chasing his car when he moved into the area some 20 years ago. Skippy was a chaser . That picture is from September 2021. This was him this morning pic.twitter.com/Jms0GDB8UL
— Fergus Sweeney (@FergusMaSuibhne) February 15, 2022