Augie the dog recently celebrated her 20th birthday making her officially the oldest golden retriever ever in history.
The pup from Tennessee is now reportedly the oldest dog of its breed, surpassing retrievers who have been known to live as long as 17 to 18 years old, even a few stories to 19 years old, according to Golden Hearts, a blog that shared her story. The post was noted by CNN in a piece published Wednesday. (RELATED: REPORT: Coachella Potentially Rescheduled To October Due To Coronavirus Fears)
GOOD GIRL! Augie the golden retriever just celebrated her 20th birthday, making her the oldest golden retriever in history https://t.co/NVI2Vs0vc3
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) June 25, 2020
The GoldHeart Golden Retrievers Rescue in Maryland also confirmed the exciting news with a post on its Facebook page. (RELATED: Pearl Jam Postpones North American Tour Over Growing Coronavirus Concerns)
“Its official. Let it be known that Golden Retriever, ‘August,’ is the oldest known, oldest living Golden Retriever,” the post read. “She turned 20 years old on April 24, 2020. Augie, as she is affectionately called, lives in Oakland, Tennessee with Jennifer and Steve [Hetterscheidt] who gave her a furever home at age 14 (adopted from Golden Retriever Rescue of Southern Nevada – Grrsn.org).”
“Thank you for sharing your story with Goldheart, and Happy Birthday Augie,” the post added. “You can read more about Augie at https://goldenhearts.co/oldest-golden-retriever/ Augie was adopted.”
Because of the coronavirus, the big party they had planned for her was cancelled, but she still got to enjoy some yummy cake to mark the special day.
“She had a dog-friendly carrot cake, the interior of the house was completely decorated,” Jennifer Hetterscheidt, Augie’s human, told CNN. “She got all her favorite foods like blueberries, bread and pasta, of course, in moderation.”
“She’s just darling,” she added. “There’s nothing to not love about her. She’s happy doing something and happy doing nothing. I can’t imagine life without her.”
“Hetterscheidt continued, while noting that Augie will “stumble now and then but as long as she can get a grip where she is, she can get up. Even though she’s easy to care for, we watch her like a hawk every moment that we’re awake.”
Augie’s humans say they are looking forward to her 21st birthday. Congratulations!