September 4, 2009

Chanel, left, resting at home with Sasha, 3, in the last days of her 21-year-long life as the World's Oldest Dog. (ZT Pet News Photo Courtesy of Karl Shaughnessy)

PORT JEFFERSON STATION, NY -- Chanel, who recently won the title as the World’s Oldest Dog, died last week, at the age of 21, or 147 in dog years.

The long-haired white Daschund passed away from undetermined causes on August 28, just three weeks before the 2009 version of the Guinness Book of World Records, which will feature Chanel, hits the stands September 17.

Her owner, Denice Shaughnessy, of Port Jefferson Station, NY, told Zootoo Pet News that Chanel’s death didn’t come as a shock, even though the dog’s veterinarian had issued her a clean bill of health just several days before.

“It wasn’t a surprise to me, but it was to my husband and to the vet,” Shaughnessy, 51, said. “I’m the basic caretaker of her so I know her. I know everything there is about her and I knew the day before, just by looking at her and talking to her that it was time.”

It was a innate sense that nothing -- or no one -- could refute, including Chanel’s long-term veterinarian, Phillip Zangara, of Roosevelt Animal Hospital in Port Jefferson Station, NY, who told ZT Pet News in May that Chanel “is defying every odd right now. I’m surprised at just about everything about her.”

Defying the Odds

During her last vet visit at the end of August, Chanel seemed to be doing fine, according to her vet.

“He did blood work and said it was better than last year,” Shaughnessy recalled. “He gave her a bit of fluid, since I told them that she seemed to be a bit dehydrated, and she had lost a pound since last year. But she had no temperature and her heart rate was perfect.

“He clipped her nails and she was fighting like a mad cow, like she always does. She was full of energy.”

Nevertheless, when Shaughnessy brought Chanel home that night, she turned to her husband and their other dog, Sasha, 3, also a Daschund, and instructed them both to say their goodbyes. A neighbor also came over that night to say farewell.

“My neighbor was going away and I told her to come over and say goodbye to Chanel, and said that I honestly don’t expect her to be here tomorrow. My neighbor was like ‘Why, she looks fine,’ but I could see it in her eyes that it wasn’t good, that it was time.”

She passed away that Thursday evening, August 27.

Chanel was at peace in her final moments, Shaughnessy said, keeping in line with her final relaxing years in the Long Island suburb.

Chanel, who suffered from cataracts, loss of hearing and muscle deterioration, was equipped with “doggles,” or tinted goggles designed for dogs, in the summertime. She frequented the streets with Shaughnessy and her husband, Karl, in a stroller, but was able to put around the backyard on her own four feet.

She had a “calm” disposition, according to Karl Shaughnessy, yet required the level of care one would generally administer to an elderly person. She had to wear sweaters indoors, and caused the Shaughnessys to install a special, washable rug throughout the first level of their home.

Up until two years ago, though, Chanel lived a fairly active life, and even went on cross-country road trips with her family.

Earning a Spot in the Books

The Shaughnessys recognized that Chanel was unique -- Daschunds generally live to be around 14 to 16 -- and contacted the Guinness Book of World Records after she turned 18.

“They said ‘We won't do anything until she is 20,’” Karl Shaughnessy recalled of Guinness’ response to their e-mail. “Then, when she turned 20, we had to get a letter from the vet, and three letters from people who have known her since she was a puppy.”

Guinness’ congratulatory letter and certificate arrived when Chanel was 20.

The Shaughnessys say that they don’t plan on getting another dog, since their condominium complex technically allows families to only keep one pet. Denice Shaughnessy says she still wakes up four to five times during the night, like she used to when Chanel was alive.

The Shaughnessys helped ease Chanel into her old age, but it came at a price, requiring great amounts of time and attention. Denice Shaughnessy noted that people often say to her, “I hope my dog lives to be as old as yours,” but that few owners actually understand what it takes to care for a very old animal.

“It’s just like caring for a grandparent or elderly parent,” she said. “It’s just a great deal of work. People should prepare themselves for if their pets live to be this old, that they are really going to have to devote a lot of time to them.

“But if you love them, that’s what you do. You don’t take them and have them put to sleep –- you let them live their lives, and help them do that a much as possible.”

Amy Lieberman is a Zootoo Pet News correspondent covering the New York region and can be reached at alieberman@zootoo.com.