Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Sparky says congrats to Chanel - World Oldest Dog Turns 21


From The New York Post
By Adam Nichols

She's the world's oldest pooch, with 21 years under her collar, but she never learned how to beg.
"She's independent. If she didn't want to do something, she had a look she would give, and she usually got her way," Denice Shaughnessy joked of her aging dachshund, Chanel, whose 147th birthday — in people years — is Wednesday.

Chanel — named the oldest dog by Guinness World Records last year — is taking a rare trip from her Port Jefferson Station home in New York to mingle with canine buddies invited to her Manhattan birthday party.

The old girl's red hair faded to white a long time ago. Her cataracts force her to wear special doggie glasses and her bones feel the cold.

Her home is kept at a constant 72 degrees. She eats boiled chicken with whole-wheat pasta, and a specially selected soft treat designed for her ancient teeth.

And she spends her days relaxing at home, only taking walks in the summer.