GOOSE CREEK, S.C.–Losing a pet is never easy, especially, when they’ve been right by your side for practically half of your life.
One Goose Creek man, Tom Campbell, knows this first hand. In 1998, he was just 27-years-old when he purchased his very first dog from a breeder.
Although he was the runt of the litter, Scootie would go on to outlast most dogs his breed. According to the American Kennel Club, the average life span of Dalmatians is between 11-13 years.
On average, most dogs live for 8–15 years, and dog experts say that authentic records of dogs living over 20 years are quite rare and generally involve only smaller breeds.
“Several years go when Scootie was 18 years old, my wife called the Guinness World Records to see about getting him listed as the oldest Dalmatian in the world because when we searched the Internet we couldn’t find a Dalmatian that lived past the age of 17,” stated Campbell. “The organization was impressed by Scootie’s age, but told us that, unfortunately, they don’t list the oldest dogs by breed.”
According to the Guinness World Records, the oldest dog to have walked this earth was an Australian cattle-dog named Bluey. The dog lived 29 years and five months before having to be put to sleep on November 14, 1939.
During Scootie’s time on earth, he survived cancer at about 10 years old as well as a serious heart murmur. During the final two years of his life, he lost the ability to walk and developed poor eyesight. His health gradually declined from there.
On March 9th, Scootie, who’s registered with the AKC, sadly passed away. He was 20-years-old. He was just one month shy of his 21st birthday. In human years, that would make him 114 years old.
“I’m heartbroken. He was my best friend on four legs. He gave me hell when he was a lot younger, but if I had a choice to do all over again, I would in a heartbeat,” stated Campbell. “It’s been very hard to not have him here. I’ll never forget him.”
Scootie was buried at Pet Rest Cemetery in Goose Creek on Wednesday.
Campbell attributed Scootie’s long life to regular visits to the vet, daily walks and healthy eating. His meals largely consisted of white rice, baked chicken, peas and broccoli that Campbell cooked himself. Scootie’s snacks primarily consisted of carrots.
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