The Current Oldest Living Shih Tzu Dogs
Overview
Self-reported Oldest Shih Tzu Dog - This is the Shih Tzu senior that we know of that reached the oldest age, but is self-reported (aka not verified) via registration papers.
Overview of Aging and Life Expectancy for the Shih Tzu Breed
The Oldest Living Shih Tzu Ever Documented and Verified by Us
Below is Bella.
Bella currently holds the record for the oldest Shih Tzu documented and verified by us here at AllShihTzu, via registration records. She lived to the age of 20 years, 2 months and 19 days. She was born July 31, 2003 and passed October 19, 2023.
Beautiful Bella
July 31, 2003 to October 19, 2023.
RIP
About Bella:
(Summary graciously provided by her humans):
Bella was born on July 31, 2003 and became a permanent part of our family in October of that year, residing in New Rochelle, NY. Leeann and Angelo Acocella were her human parents, and Tara and Michael were her human brother and sister.
Bella lived the most spoiled life any pup could have imagined. We believe that that, along with her love for lots of beauty sleep, contributed to the longevity of her life. She loved treats like string cheese and Greenies, and sometimes even some homemade Italian gravy. Towards the end of her life, her daddy would bake her fresh pumpkin and peanut butter cookies which grew to be her new favorite.
Growing up, Bella was never the most energetic, but did love her toys and played with them until she was about 17 years old. She would have short spurts of energy running around the house or playing tug-o-war. However, her favorite pastime was sitting outside bathing in the sunlight, or inside where she could find a spot of sunlight, and nap for hours.
Bella was perfectly healthy until around 18 or 19 years old. At this time, she began to slowly lose her eyesight and hearing and suffered some joint issues; however, this didn’t stop her from making her way around the house, eating her treats, and finding her bed to take her well-deserved naps. She particularly loved when everyone was home or cooking because her sense of smell helped guide her.
Bella passed away very peacefully on October 19, 2023 at the age of 20 years, 2 months, and 19 days. She was the most perfect dog we could have ever imagined. Our lives and our home will never be the same without her. She has forever left a small pawprint on our hearts.
AllShihTzu sends many thanks to Leeann and Angelo for allowing us to showcase Bella and for taking the time to provide all the necessary documents for us to verify this sweet Shih Tzu's impressive age.
Below is Dustin.
Dustin was our previous record holder for the oldest Shih Tzu documented and verified by us here at AllShihTzu, via registration records. He lived to the age of 19 years, 9 months and 20 days. He was born July 14, 2002 and passed May 4, 2022.
About Dustin:
(Summary graciously provided by his humans):
Dustin was born July 14, 2002. He became part of our family at the age of 8 weeks. Stephanie and Barry Celaya were his human parents, and his home was in Temecula, California.
Dustin was a rambunctious little guy. He was quite the little guard dog. He could hear a pin drop. His favorite game was chasing his tennis ball up and down the stairs. He also enjoyed wrestling with his Shih Tzu brother, Dominic. They were best buddies! His favorite treat was chicken and he loved taking walks up until the age of 17 years old.
In Dustin’s senior years, around 16 years of age, his hearing and eyesight started to fade but that did not stop him from being able to navigate around the house. Throughout Dustin’s life he did not have any health issues other than some environmental allergies which we were able to remedy with the medication, Apoquel.
In Dustin’s last year of life, he slept a lot in his favorite room which was the family room. On May 4, 2022, at the remarkable age of 19 years, 9 months, and 20 days our little Dustin passed. Dustin’s kidneys began to fail, and we had to make that difficult decision every pet parent dreads and say good-bye to our little guy.
Dustin was the best doggie ever and gave our family loads of love and joy. He will forever be in our hearts.
AllShihTzu sends many thanks to Stephanie and Barry for allowing us to showcase Dustin and for taking the time to provide all the necessary documents for us to verify Dustin's impressive age.
Self-reported Oldest-Living Shih Tzu Dog
Suzie. Passed away at the age of 20 years, 8 months. Pet parent: Gaynor H, from the UK.
Suzie lived with her human since the age of 8 weeks old. At 13 years old, she lost an eye due to an eye ulcer. In her last few years, she became both blind and deaf. She passed over from a neurological condition before her 21st birthday. She lived alongside her Yorkshire Terrier brother, Charlie and was fun, inquisitive and happy until her last day.
Related Article:
How to Help Your Shih Tzu Live a Long Life - After reading about these long-living Shih Tzu dogs, you may be wondering what you can do to help your little guy or gal live a long, quality life. Read these tips to help a Shih Tzu reach their golden years with optimal health and happiness.
Do you have a Shih Tzu older than 20 years, 2 months and 19 days with documented proof?
At this time, we are only accepting submissions for Shih Tzu dogs older than 20 years, 2 months and 19 days if there is documented proof of age, via registration papers / birth records.
If you do have proof, please feel free to reach out to us and include the following in the message:
Your Shih Tzu's name, age (current or at time of passing), date of birth, date of passing (if they have passed over), several clear photos, scanned copies of a birth record / registration papers, and your veterinarian's contact information. Please be sure to have all of this information gathered and contained in one message. The Subject Line should be: Oldest Living Verified. And please email all of that to us at: Contact@AllShihTzu.com. Thank you for helping to document long-living Shih Tzu dogs.
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