A tiny pooch that gorges on cheese, sausages and Doritos has set the record for world's oldest dog, at 23-years-old.

Spike, a Chihuahua mix from Camden, Ohio, USA recently turned 23, but his old age means he is almost blind and hard of hearing.

But that hasn' stopped him surprising people in later life as the Guinness Book of World Records officially recognises him as the oldest pooch on the planet, at "at least 23 years and seven days old".

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Spike was already 10 when he was found by Rita Kimball and her family in a supermarket car park in 2009.

“Most of our family knew that Spike was old but didn’t know he had a shot at being the oldest in the world,” said Rita.

“Now that he is a record holder, they see him as a celebrity. They can't believe he lived this long.

"I believe he is still here because, after having such a terrible life at first, he makes the best of every day and now sees his rewards in his later years."

She was watching US television when she realised Spike was older than the dog, Pebbles, who was claimed to hold the title.

Spike has shown himself to be a fighter after being in a bad state when they found him outside a grocery store.

“He had been shaved up his back, had blood stains around his neck from a chain or rope, and looked pretty rough,” Rita told Guinness World Records.

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“The clerk in the grocery told us he had been there for three days, and they were feeding him scraps.”

And she said that Spike automatically felt at home with Rita’s family saying: “Spike jumped right in and sat on the seat, as if he knew where we were going. It was meant to be.”

Years later, the almost blind and hard of hearing Spike has made himself at home with his family, waking up at 7am on most days and visiting the animals on the Kimballs' farm.

“He is friendly but since he’s almost blind and hard of hearing, he gets testy at times and just wants to be left alone,” said Rita.

The previous record holder for the oldest dog living was Gino Wolf, who achieved the record at 22 years and 52 days after Pebbles died. This was verified on November 15, 2022.

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