An uncle passing is always sad. Especially when he was possibly the world's oldest dog.
Uncle Chichi, a toy poodle that lived on Morton Street in the West Village with owners Frank Pavich and Janet Puhalovic, died this past Tuesday, reports The New York Times.
Chichi was between 24 and 26 years old (yes, in human years). The uncertainty of his age cost him the title of "oldest living dog" for the Guinness World Records in 2010. He was adopted from the John Ancrum Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Charleston, S.C. 24 years ago. The shelter said he was between 1 and 2 years old at the time, but the proof of his age, like veterinarian records, had been lost. The oldest living dog was 26 years old and lived in Japan, but died in December.
Uncle Chichi had been battling cancer and his owners had little choice but to euthanize him. In his old age, the poodle also suffered from cataracts, glaucoma and a corneal ulcer over the past decade. He also couldn't hear or see by the time he passed.
Somehow, he had always recovered after being treated at the Animal Medical Center in the Upper East Side. Chichi even made an appearance on "Good Morning America" because of his remarkable age.
"It's weird because the more time we spent with him, the more and more we loved him. We didn't know that was possible," Pavich told the Times.
"He wasn't your average dog," Pavich said. "He kind of transcended that."
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