Chanel, an almost-21-year-old dachshund mix who is the world’s oldest dog according to the Guinness World Records, made an appearance on the Today show.
Chanel’s story is noteworthy to me not only because of her age, but because she has spent that entire life with her original owner, through bad times and good. I have been a supporter of and an occasional volunteer for rescue, and may I say that the stories that a rescue volunteer has to listen to when talking to people who are giving up their dogs make you lose faith in the basic goodness of human nature. The tough situations that owner Denice Shaughnessy was faced with, in addition to frequent moves as a soldier in the U.S. Army and later a caretaker to her grandparents, are tougher than many of the dog-dumping excuses that I’ve heard over the years, and yet Ms. Shaughnessy kept Chanel with her through all of the difficult times. She is really a great example of responsible, caring dog ownership, and I applaud her for the lifetime commitment to Chanel.
But, yeah… 21 years. Wow. I would have given just about anything to be able to have that long with any of the dearly departed vom Viersen Rottweilers. In many larger breeds, anything past 10 years is truly a gift. Since three of the four angel Rottweilers made it past 10 years, and one close to 12 years, I can’t honestly say I was cheated of time with them.
There are a fair number of Rottweilers that have made it farther into the double-digits, though, and the Rottweiler is the initial breed chosen by the Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation for a canine Exceptional Longevity Database. Information gathered for this project will be used to learn more about the aging process in canines and how it relates to the human aging process. The Murphy Foundation also uses Rottweilers in a study about cancer prevention with dietary antioxidants. Dietary antioxidants are also part of a trial for human patients: a study on prostate cancer prevention for men over 55 years of age.
This is of great interest to me, not only because of my love of Rottweilers, but because of my own family’s participation in a different ongoing longevity study. My family also has more than its share of cancer survivors, and unfortunately a few others who did not survive, so I am interested in the studies for so many reasons.
(NaBloPoMo | May ‘09: 6 of 31 | 75% Challenge: 102 of 274)