- Lilly celebrated her 24th birthday with her family in Italy
- She was baked a cake that had the number 112 on it – her age in human years
- She was found in a layby on a motorway in the south of Italy
A rescued mongrel called Lilly has celebrated what her Italian family claims is her 24th birthday – a landmark that would make her the oldest dog in the world.
Lilly, a small dog of unknown heritage with a grey-black coat, celebrated her birthday at her family’s home in Torre Annuziata, near Naples, on New Year’s Day.
Her family, the Acanforases, made her a special cake with the number 112 written on it, her equivalent age in human years.
She was found in a layby on the motorway to Reggio Calabria, the town closest to Sicily’s Messina.
Her owner, widow Anna Cutrupi, says Lilly is crazy about fish, and also enjoys kibble and canned meat.
Lilly, a small dog of unknown heritage with a grey-black coat, celebrated her birthday at her family’s home
Her family, the Acanforases, made her a special cake with the number 112 written on it, her equivalent age in human years
She was found in a layby on the motorway to Reggio Calabria, the town closest to Sicily’s Messina
Her owner, widow Anna Cutrupi, says Lilly is crazy about fish, and also enjoys kibble and canned meat
‘Lilly is now part of our family and is pampered by everyone. She is undoubtedly her age, but she is healthy and lively,’ Anna added
‘Lilly is like a daughter to me, and she manages to not make me feel alone, especially after the loss of my husband,’ she told Italian media.
Anna said that though her three children, Rocco, Ausilia and Roberta, all have their own families and lives, every time they talk on the phone, ‘before anything else they ask me how the dog is.’
‘Lilly is now part of our family and is pampered by everyone. She is undoubtedly her age, but she is healthy and lively,’ Anna added.
She said that she baked the cake for Lilly as reaching her age was ‘an achievement that deserves to be celebrated properly.’
It is commonly believed that dog years can be calculated by taking the number of human years it has been alive for and multiplying it by seven,
But vets have debunked that claim, and come up with a better way of calculating dog ages.
The first year of a dog’s life is equivalent to 15 years, while the second makes it 24, given how dogs age and develop in their first few years.
Following on from that, four years should be added for every human year they live.
As a dog who was found as a pup in the year 2000, Lilly will be 112 in human years.
Lilly’s big birthday celebration comes months after Bobi, a Portuguese dog who previously held the record of being the world’s oldest dog, passed away just five months after celebrating his 31st birthday.
Bobi was the proud holder of two Guinness World Records
Bobi was born in an outhouse where the family of his owner, Leonel, stored wood
Dogs typically only live for 10 to 13 human years.
Bobi’s age was understood to have been verified by his vet and a pet database authorised by the Portuguese government.
In 1992, Bobi was registered with the Veterinary Medical Service of the Municipality of Leiria. The organisation confirmed Bobi’s birth date.
His age has been verified by SIAC, a pet database authorised by the Portuguese government and managed by the National Union of Veterinarians.
Bobi’s owner Leonel Costa, held a birthday party for the farm dog on May 11 in the village of Conqueiros in Portugal’s Leiria district
Local meat and fish were served up to more than 100 guests attending his birthday celebrations – some of whom flew in from abroad – with extra for Bobi who only eats human food.
Leonel Costa, now 38, was only eight when his beloved pet was born in an outhouse where his family stored wood.
When Bobi turned 31, he said: ‘[He] has been a warrior for all these years, only he knows how he’s been holding on, it must not be easy because the average dog’s life span is not that high and if he spoke only he could explain this success.
‘We are very happy and grateful to life for allowing us, after 30 years, to have Bobi in our daily lives.’
