Ireland’s ‘oldest’ dog Skippy passes away aged 27

RIP Skip.

The oldest dog in Ireland has sadly passed away at the age of 27. Skippy was believed to be the oldest dog in the country at around 135 year old in dog years. The Border Collie lived on a farm in Elly Bay in County Mayo passed away peacefully at 11am on Wednesday, July 6. His owner had noticed that he had not been well from around 9am that morning and said he was fading away. In the days before his death, Skippy had lost the mobility in his legs and was no longer able to walk. Skippy was taken care of by his owner Patrick Geraghty, 84, who gave him bedding, food and medicine every day to ensure he was comfortable in his last few days. Skippy was raised by Pat after he was given to him by renowned dog breeder, Joe Dean, in Belmullet in the summer of 1995 when he was only a puppy. There are no official records of Skippy's age, but Pat’s nephew, Pearce Prior, said he remembers visiting his uncle in the 90s and Skippy was only a puppy. Skippy was working on the farm where he died up until around two years ago before his mobility deteriorated and he started having trouble getting up on his back legs, as well as becoming hard of hearing. The average life expectancy for Border Collies is between 12 and 15 years old. This article originally appeared on Her.ie, lead image via Pearce Prior READ ON: You no longer have to respond to people on WhatsApp, emoji reactions have landed