World's Oldest Dog, Maggie Dies After 30 Years on a Dairy Farm (Photos)

Maggie, who was thought to be the world's oldest dog, has died in Australia aged 30 - or 133 in human years.

Maggie and the owner, Brian

 

An Australian sheep dog named Maggie who is believed to be the world’s oldest dog, has died peacefully in her sleep Tuesday, aged 30 or 133 in human years.

 

Her owner and lifelong companion, dairy farmer, Brian McLaren, said he found Maggie curled snugly in her bed when he arrived at his farm in Woolsthorpe, in the southern-Australian state of Victoria.

 

"She was 30 years old, she was still going along nicely last week, she was walking from the dairy to the office and growling at the cats and all that sort of thing. I’m sad, but I’m pleased she went the way she went," McLaren told the Weekly Times. 

 

 

McLaren says he wasn’t able to officially verify the Kelpie’s age after losing her paperwork, but says he first got Maggie when his son was just 4 years old. He’s now 34.

 

According to the Guinness World Records, the oldest age recorded for a dog is 29 years and five months for another Australian working dog named Bluey.

 

The McLaren family brought Maggie home before their son, who is now 34, had started attending school. "When the kids were growing up they'd get off the bus at 4:10pm and if they weren't, she'd be there barking at 4:15," Mr McLaren said.

 

 

Maggie worked on the farm rounding up cows until about 12 years ago. "She wasn't pampered but she was well looked after. She always had milk not too much of it, but she loved her milk and anything else she'd wanted," Mr McLaren said.

 

"She loved chasing the motorbike. When she was up and going she would want to run along beside it, so the faster you went, the quicker she would run. She had the greatest life."

 

Mr McLaren said Maggie passed away peacefully, curled up in her bed, on Sunday night.

 

"The best thing about it is the last couple of weeks I was petrified I was going to have to put her down, and that was going to break my heart. I'm so pleased she went the way she went.," he said.