World's Oldest Dog May be a Nova Scotian

(CBC) A Nova Scotia mutt named Misty is vying for a spot in the record books as the oldest living dog in the world.

Kevin Nelson, of Amherst, said he believes that Misty is 25 years old. He adopted her 18 years ago from a dog foster home in Amherst.

"She [the owner] had a couple of medium-size dogs, and she didn't mention anything about this little black one that was sitting against the wall. She [Misty] was kind of cowering down, kind of afraid of people," Nelson said.

"Anyway, I left the foster home, and I turned around in the truck about 10 minutes later and went back and got her."

Nelson took Misty to a veterinarian soon after he adopted her, and was told that she was seven years old.

That means Misty is 25-years-old — or 175 in dog years.

What's the secret to Misty's longevity?

"I think it's lots of love," Nelson said. "If you give your animal lots of love and make sure that she's taken care of and brought to the vet when you think something's wrong .…"

That tender love and care could now lead Misty into the record books, because the oldest documented living dog in the world died last week in Italy at age 23.

Proving Misty's age could be a problem, however.

Guinness World Records said they need photos and birth certificates — something to prove when she was born.

It's become a bit more urgent to earn Misty a place in the Guinness World Records book, Nelson said, because he found out six weeks ago that Misty has liver cancer.

"It would mean a bit to me, but if I had to have anything like blood work done [to authenticate her age], I wouldn't do it to her, because it's not that important to me," Nelson said.

The oldest verified dog listed by Guinness World Records is a 21-year-old dog living in Australia called Sako Wilde.


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2010/12/15/ns-oldest-dog-misty.html#ixzz18Gvy4oHj