Hard-line, cairn cross Toddy the terrier is livelier than ever as he celebrates his 22nd birthday; that’s 103 in dog years. The shaggy pup commemorates his seniority with his parent of over two decades; 62-year-old Chris Sheffield.
It seemed like it was only yesterday in the Spring of 1999 when Toddy had been a stray rollicking round the streets of Raploch, Sterling when a warden took him to the council kernels.
There, by wonderful destiny, Chris Sheffield adopted him, however, with a word of warning that little Toddy wouldn’t be around for too long. This being the cause of a heart problem as pronounced by veterinarians.
Toddy was suffering from a heart murmur; of which the most common cause is ‘mitral insufficiency’ (also referred to as ‘mitral regurgitation’). It is a condition in which the mitral valve in the heart becomes thickened and starts leaking. Mitral insufficiency tends to be more familial in smaller breed dogs.
Even so, 22 years later Toddy staunchly defies his condition whilst living a normal dog’s life with regular dog food, and plenty of exercise according to his parent. Over the years Toddy has kept by his parents’ side, growing old together, with Sheffield having lost his wife and two children who’ve left the nest, they spend most of their days taking long walks on the beach. Sheffield even thinks that his pup could be the oldest dog in Scotland. But with all that exercise and a potent will to live; we surely can’t disagree.
Feature Image Source: Pixabay
Images Source: Chris Sheffield