A woman has gone viral for showcasing her everyday routine looking after the dog she adopted aged six—and who is now 22 years old.
Former rescue dog Monty is a Parson Jack Russell terrier, a breed known for being friendly, clever and affectionate towards family, according to the American Kennel Club (AKC). While the AKC says the breed has a life expectancy of between 13 and 15 years, Monty has far exceeded this, with his owner Lucia revealing he is 22 years old.
Her family adopted Monty, then six years old, some 16 years ago, and he’s still very much part of the family, making regular appearances on Lucia’s TikTok account.
While he still appears to be healthy and strong, particularly in relation to his age, caring for a senior dog can be time-consuming, as Lucia showcased in a video to her TikTok account @luludurham. “He takes up most of my morning but I would [not] have it any other way,” she captioned the video, posted on March 9.
Beginning at 8.15 a.m., Lucia makes breakfast for Monty, followed by his morning medication, trapping Monty between her legs to apply eye drops.
She then shows his list of daily medication, with ticks alongside each one to ensure “nobody forgets” about a dose. His medications include herbal supplements for his joints and pain relief for arthritis, hidden inside a teaspoon of peanut butter to help it go down.
At 8.45 a.m., Lucia disposes of Monty’s used diapers, before putting a fresh one on him after his morning toilet break. Older dogs can sometimes lose control of their bladder, and specialized dog diapers are available to help.
After all that, Lucia heads out on a run, and does morning stretches in the yard—and her loyal dog comes to find her, before taking a late morning nap in the sun beside her.
She explained in the comments that in the last year, Monty’s eyesight has become worse, and he can’t see much close-up. And in response to one commenter, she admitted “caring for an older dog takes up a lot of time, but we love him.”
TikTok users had a huge response to the video, which has been viewed over 142,000 times, with many commenting on how well-cared for Monty is, and how unusual it is to see a dog his age.
“22? He doesn’t look a day over 10,” one user said, adding: “Incredible.”
TikTok @luludurham
“I can only pray to have that long with my boy,” another said, while one wrote: “I love this so much. My boy is 15, got so much energy and I hope he gets to live a long life like your darling boy.”
And as one person wrote: “You can tell he’s so well looked after, pat yourselves on the backs as dog owners, seriously.”
In 2023, Portugese dog Bobi was recognized by the Guinness World Records as being the oldest living dog at 30 years of age.
However he was later stripped of his title, as an investigation determined there was not enough proof of his age.
Newsweek contacted @luludurham on TikTok for comment on this story.
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