Runt of the litter who was rescued turns 22 years old - the equivalent of a human being 100

Runt of the litter who was rescued turns 22 years old - the equivalent of a human being 100

Mangalore Today News Network

A one-time stray who was the runt of the litter could now hold the title of Britain’s oldest dog - after she turned 22 years old.

Daisy the Jack Russell was rescued by owner Mark Barsby-Finch in 1993, when she was two years old, from a rehoming centre.

But twenty years on, she’s still going strong.

Experts calculate that the terrier’s big day is the equivalent of turning 100 in human years - after scrapping the claim that one dog year equals seven human years, because different breeds age at a different rate.

And Mr Barsby-Finch, from Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, puts Daisy’s longevity down to her long walks in the countryside - and her refusal to eat dog food.

He said: ’Daisy has never had a tin of dog food in her life, she eats exactly what we eat.

’Her favourite meal is roast chicken and mashed potatoes, but she’ll happily eat anything.

’She’s partial to a takeaway Chinese, and she loves a homemade chilli too, as long as it’s not too spicy.

’I wouldn’t dream of giving her scraps - I cook an extra portion of food just for her, and she eats before the rest of the family.

’She’s definitely a very pampered pooch, but she deserves it. She’s given us a lot of pleasure over the years.’

Mr Barsby-Finch, 48, adopted Daisy from Cheltenham Animal Shelter for his niece, Claire, back in 1993, after she had begged her family for a dog.

Animal shelter workers didn’t have an exact date of birth for Daisy - but believed her to be at least 24 months old when she was adopted.

Although the oldest dog ever known to have lived in the UK reached the age of 26, it is believed that Daisy is the oldest living dog.

When the family moved into a home that needed major renovations, Daisy moved back in with Mr Barsby-Finch after she gaining a reputation as an escape artist.

But strong-willed Daisy decided she didn’t want to move back after the renovations were finished and made it clear she’d rather stay put.

Mr Barsby-Finch said: ’When we rescued Daisy, they told us she was the runt of the litter and wouldn’t have been expected to survive long.

’She was left to wander farmland as a stray before someone found her and took her to the shelter.

’When we first adopted her, we had access to 40 acres of farmland, and Daisy used to be off out into the fields first thing in the morning, and she’d suddenly reappear just in time for her tea.

’She has always hated going for walks on the lead, but give her a field to run around and she’s off.

Daisy enjoys playing with ice cubes and sleeping.

Mr Barsby-Finch said: ’I used to have an ice machine, which was quite noisy, and she figured out how to knock it so the ice fell to the floor.

’I give her one or two cubes as a treat now and then, and she loves them.

’She spends most of the time sleeping now, but apart from being missing a few teeth and being a bit hard of hearing, she’s in really good health.

’We don’t know the date of her real birthday, but we have always celebrated it on the day we adopted her, February 21.

’We had a little party for her, and let her have a bit of cake - but the humans probably enjoyed it more than Daisy.

’Hopefully we’ll be celebrating many more birthdays to come.’

Courtesy: Dailymail London