'World's oldest dog' contender dies in France aged 30

"Lazare, a Papillon dwarf spaniel with stand-up “butterfly” ears, was born on December 4th, 1995, according to animal charity worker Anne-Sophie Moyon. He spent most of his life with the same owner until she died and he was then handed to the charity's shelter. Single mother Ophelie Boudol, 29, fell in love with the animal one year her senior at the shelter last month. She had initially intended to find a pet for her mother, she told AFP, but she invited Lazare to join her family instead."

"At 30 years and five months old, Lazare wore nappies, could no longer hear or see, and slept almost all day. But Boudol said he was delightfully spirited. “He really has such an endearing personality,” she told AFP earlier this week as she cradled him at her home in the southeastern town of Villy-le-Pelloux. “You were our little grandpa baby,” Boudol wrote in a farewell post on Instagram. “You chose to take your final flight in my arms on the evening of May 14th, to join your mistress who loved you so much,” she said."

"When Moyon and colleagues discovered Lazare's age, they thought “Lazare might be the world's oldest dog”, she said. They verified his birth date in two registries and filled in the paperwork to register him for a possible record as a joke, she added. AFP contacted the Guinness World Records to find out if Lazare had held the record before he passed away on Thursday, but did not receive an immediate response. A Portuguese Rafeiro do Alentejo named Bobi was thought to be the oldest dog when he died reportedly aged 31 in 2023, according to the Guinness World Records website."

"But a review in 2024 found there was not enough conclusive evidence of his age. Lazare died just weeks later. “You were our little grandpa baby,” Boudol wrote in a farewell post on Instagram. “You chose to take your final flight in my arms on the evening of May 14th, to join your mistress who loved you so much,” she said. At 30 years and five months old, Lazare wore nappies, could no longer hear or see, and slept almost all day."

Lazare, a French Papillon dwarf spaniel with stand-up “butterfly” ears, died at 30 years and five months. Born December 4, 1995, he spent most of his life with the same owner until she died, after which he was handed to an animal charity shelter. Single mother Ophelie Boudol, 29, adopted him last month after initially intending to find a pet for her mother. Lazare wore nappies, could no longer hear or see, and slept almost all day, yet remained spirited. His age led charity workers to consider registering him for a possible world record, after verification of his birth date in two registries. Guinness World Records was contacted to confirm whether he held the record, but no immediate response was received. A prior candidate, Bobi, was later found to lack conclusive evidence of age.

Read at The Local France