“It’s official. Let it be known that Golden Retriever, ‘August,’ is the oldest known, oldest living Golden Retriever! She turned 20 years old on April 24, 2020.”
That’s how the statement from GoldHeart Golden Retrievers Rescue began while helping to announce the celebration of the pup’s second decade a few months back. And with nearly 20,000 shares of her birthday post, it looks like the rest of the world is ready to celebrate with her.
August – “Augie” to her friends – lives with her fur-ever parents, Jennifer and Steve Hetterscheidt, in Oakland, Tennessee. And those kind souls adopted this sweet girl when she was already a senior pup, which is a rare and generous act for pet owners to make.
The Hetterscheidts adopted Augie when she was already 14 years old!
That’s two years older than the top range of the average lifespan of her breed. Most goldens live from 10-12 years.
On the Golden Hearts Rescue blog, writer and dog-lover Jake helped tell this old girl’s story.
Prior to her final adoption, she had been rehomed twice, due to no fault of her own. And while we don’t have the details, lots of things can happen to owners that would result in having to rehome a dog for its own good. It could be the case that Augie has always lived a charmed life, but we just don’t know.
What we DO know is that when the Hetterscheidts adopted her, they had already been involved in the golden rescue community for years.
And they were ready to make this dog’s final years full of love knowing that she was unlikely to be adopted at her age.
It would have been such a shame to see Augie spend 6 whole years without a home – although it’s probably fair to say that the love and attention she was given by her family helped extend her life.
Augie has both canine and feline siblings in her fur-ever home, gets to go on RV trips around the country, and loves to play fetch – especially in the pool.
But we all know that getting old comes with its challenges.
While her owner Jennifer Hetterscheidt says Augie relatively healthy, she also reports that there are some mobility issues and the old girl is a bit shaky when she first gets up in the morning.
But she still enjoys her daily constitutional around the yard.
After being diagnosed with some kidney issues at the age of 14, she was switched to a mixture of wet and dry Hill’s Prescription Diet k/d. She also takes some supplements for her kidneys and joints.
Hey, aside from the dog food, she sounds like the rest of us aging folks!
To help with her kidney issues, her parents have kept up with her care, which also involves getting subcutaneous (SQ) fluids twice a week – and they’ve reported that this hydration method helps perk her up quite a bit.
It’s a real pain getting old, but just like humans, dogs can live longer happier lives if they get proper care (they just have to rely on owners to do it while we’re on our own).
Listening to the dog’s vet, forming a relationship with them, paying close attention to changes in a dog’s behavior and what they do and don’t respond well to, feeding them quality food, grooming them regularly (including teeth and ears), and making sure they get exercise all play huge roles in longevity and quality of life.
As you might imagine, Augie’s birthday was a sedate but festive affair. One simply can’t let such a record-breaking milestone go by without some flair!
Golden siblings Sherman, Belle, and Bruce were guests of honor at her party, which was replete with decorations and lots of adoration.
There’s no word on whether or not Augie shared her dog-friendly carrot cake.
But we wouldn’t blame her for indulging a little at this point.
A belated happy birthday from all of us at Animal Channel to the oldest living Golden Retriever!
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