PHOTOS: 22 year old dog named oldest living dog on Earth

A 22 year old Elderly dog has been recognized by Guinness book of records as the world’s oldest living dog.

The dog’s owner Alex Wolf, from Colorado, USA got him from a rescue shelter in 2002, over 20 years ago, but he was born two years earlier than this, on September 24, 2000.

Alex, who is now aged 40, says he got him when he was in university in California.

Speaking to Today, Alex said; ‘He’s been there every step of the way. ‘I’m so glad we got him. He’s the best.

‘If we were having a later night, he would stay up, and if I was sleeping in, he would sleep in. He was one of the guys.’

Asked what he thought was the secret to his longevity, he said: ‘I give him all the credit. He’s gotten a lot of love, and I think he’s just a strong dog. He’s been there every step of the way. I’m so glad we got him. He’s the best.’

When Alex first went to get a dog from the animal shelter, he had been intending to get a larger dog than 7kg Gino.

But after meeting the dog, he decided he was the one and never looked back.

He said: ‘I’ve taken great care of him over the years and he is still in relatively very good shape…and really cute still which is surprising considering his age!’

Despite the feat, Gino is not the oldest dog to have ever lived on record.

That record goes to Bluey, an Australian cattle dog who lived to be 29 and was eventually put to sleep in 1939.

The average lifespan of a medium sized dog is 10 to 13 years.