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Is this dachshund the oldest dog in the world?
Guinness book may list canine as having achieved the feat
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| | | By Lee Lutz | | |
December 17, 2008 | 02:41 PM
Chanel, a blond, wire-haired dachshund who calls Port Jefferson Station home, is famous — or soon will be if her owners' expectation becomes reality in 2009. The Shaughnessy family has been told by the publisher of "Guinness World Records" that Chanel will be listed in next year's edition as the oldest known dog in the world.
Born on May 8, 1988, Chanel is over 20 years old and going strong, according to Denice Shaughnessy, a retired Army veteran who now works in the principal's office of the Rocky Point Middle School.
"She's pretty healthy," said Shaughnessy, "cataracts, a little, but OK." The Shaughnessys adopted Chanel in Virginia at 6 weeks old, and the German-breed dachshund spent almost six years in the country of its origin when the family was stationed in Europe in the early 1990s.
The Shaughnessys have only had dachshunds, which Chanel has outlived. She now has a "kid" for a companion, Sasha, who is a mere 3 years old. Sparky, their former pet, passed away at 11.
The secret of Chanel's longevity? Keeping a pet on a military base requires that dogs be properly cared for. The Army is "meticulous about it," Shaughnessy said, since with other pets around any maladies would quickly spread. "Shots every year" and veterinary checkups were standard operating procedure. Besides, Shaughnessy said, "These are our kids."
To get Chanel listed in the "Guinness World Records" book, Shaughnessy completed an online application and then had to submit "lots of documentation," including written statements from Chanel's current veterinarian, Dr. Philip Zangara from the Roosevelt Animal Hospital in Port Jefferson Station.
"She is an old dog and an incredible dog," Zangara said. "It's amazing she can still walk." However, he added, "She's still got a head of steam when she comes in here." Zangara has been caring for Chanel since 2002, so the veterinarian could only attest to Guinness for that period of time and to state that Chanel is indeed a very old dog.
Keep an eye out for next year's "Guinness World Records" book — it could include a very local four-legged celebrity. But does she know any new tricks?
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