The world's oldest dog Chanel will be missed. Photo: Meredith Daniels, Newsday/MCT
The celebrated dog -- who appeared on The Today Show on her 21st birthday this past May -- began life humbly as a puppy at a Virginia shelter. According to MSNBC, Denice Shaughnessy of Port Jefferson Station, N.Y. -- then a single mother and Army veteran -- spotted the wire-haired dachshund mix pup and adopted her for $25.
As she aged, Chanel's brown coat turned white and she developed cataracts. Her favorite meal was boiled chicken and brown rice. When venturing outdoors, she wore bright sweaters to protect her from a chill and stylish red goggle sunglasses to shield her eyes.
Though she got older, Chanel never lost her feisty streak. "She's independent. If she didn't want to do something, she had a look she would give, and she usually got her way," Shaughnessy told the New York Post in an earlier interview.
In recent weeks, Chanel's title of World's Oldest Dog was challenged by a 26 year-old mixed breed dog in Louisiana named Max. It seems Max is a shoo-in now, but the world will never forget Chanel.
