THE OWNER of the oldest dog in the UK has shared how she keeps her pooch strong and healthy at 22 years old.
Linzi McLean, 29, first laid eyes on the beloved pup in 2005, when her granddad found her as a stray.
Linzi McLean with Sasha the Staffy[/caption]
Sasha is believed to be 22 years old[/caption]
She was discovered as a stray in 2005[/caption]
Sasha the Staffy was at the time around three years old, according to vets.
Linzi, from Lancashire, said the secret to the dog’s old age was the love she had received throughout her life.
She said: “The amount of love that I have for her, and that she has for me, I think that’s what has kept her going all this time and kept her heart strong and healthy.”
Recalling how she first came to own Sasha, Linzi said: “He [her granddad] was on the bus on the way home and some girls had found her, she was a stray and she jumped up on to my granddad’s knee.
“They were just going to take her to the RSPCA because they’d found her, so my granddad thought he’d give her a chance.
“If she was an aggressive dog or a badly behaved dog or something, it may have been different.”
School-aged Linzi was elated to receive the dog, who she says is now ‘pretty much part of her’.
She added: “She’s the most loyal dog I’ve ever known, she’s very attached to me.
“I think the main thing that’s kept her going all this time is all the love and care. You give her so much love they want to stay with you all the time, they’re not going to want to leave you.”
The elderly pooch celebrated her 22nd birthday in November – 19 years after she was found.
Unfortunately, Sasha’s record may not be verified by Guinness World Records – last year, the organisation announced it would require microchip data or documentary evidence for all years of a pet’s life in order to verify records.
As Sasha was found as a stray, her owners cannot be 100% certain of her age.
Despite having ‘good mobility’, Sasha now struggles with longer walks. Linzi has now bought a dog pram for her so she can carry on enjoying the great outdoors.
Guinness World Records was contacted for comment.
