Maggie, an Australian kelpie, lived an extraordinarily long life. In fact, she is thought to have been the world's longest living dog. After 30 incredible years on this earth, she fell asleep peacefully in her basket for the last time.
Although Maggie's owner, Brian McLaren, does not have any documented proof of the day he brought his pup home, he does remember his son Liam was only 4 years old at the time. Liam is now 34.
Maggie spent her many years alongside McLaren running around his dairy farm, keeping the barn cats and other animals in check. Although she showed signs of aging towards the end, she didn't let her years bring her down.
Weekly Times Now reported that McLaren noticed his old pal was acting differently a few days before she passed. Although he is mourning the passing of his long-time companion, he knows how lucky he is for the time he was able to spend with Maggie.
“I’m sad, but I’m pleased she went the way she went," McLaren explained.
Scroll through below to see incredible photos of Maggie, and then make sure to watch the video of the world's oldest dog in action.
[H/T: Weekly Times Now, BoredPanda]
Thirty years ago, Brian McLaren brought his new dog Maggie home to help around the dairy farm. Maggie stuck by McLaren's side for a surprisingly long time.
Although McLaren doesn't have physical proof of Maggie's age, he remembers the time he brought her home well. His son, Liam, was only 4 years old at the time.
McLaren's son is now 34 and Maggie grew up alongside him.
Typically, dogs are expected to live to be between 10 and 14 years old. Smaller dogs tend to enjoy longer lives, while larger dogs live a shorter life span.
Dog years are calculated into human years based on a dog's age and weight. It is estimated that a dog Maggie's age and size was about 133 years old in human years!
The only other dog ever known to have lived as long as Maggie was Bluey, an Australian cattle dog. According to Guinness World Records, Bluey lived to be 29 years old.
Despite her age, Maggie was a close companion and assistant to McLaren up until the very end.
“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,” McLaren told The Weekly Times.
McLaren could tell something was off a few days before she passed.
“She just went downhill in two days and I said yesterday morning, when I went home for lunch… she hasn’t got long now," McLaren explained.
One evening, McLaren saw his old friend tucked away in her basket for the night, like she always was. When he arrived at the farm the next morning, he realized she had passed peacefully in her sleep.
"I'm sad, but I'm pleased she went the way she went," said McLaren. "We were great mates."
McLaren and Maggie were lucky to have had such a close bond for 30 years.
Check out the video below to see more of Maggie, the world's oldest dog.
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