Dachsund Paco Sosa of Manhattan, Who Turns 20 on September 5, Believed To Be New York's Oldest Dog

New York, NY -- A Manhattan dachshund named Paco Sosa, who turns 20 years old on Saturday, September 5 (that’s 140 in people years), is believed to be the New York’s oldest dog.

Paco’s human companion, filmmaker and venture capitalist Bernadette Santistevan, says the key to Paco’s longevity is a low-protein diet with organic poultry or fish, plenty of exercise, and “lots and lots of love.” “Despite his advanced age, Paco still loves to go for 30-minute walks every day in the park,” she said, adding that she got him as an 8-month-old puppy from a breeder in New Mexico.

Paco, who suffers from arthritis and some disc degeneration, goes for regular rehabilitation and physical therapy sessions at The Animal Medical Center in Manhattan. “Before he started coming here a little more than a year ago, he had some difficulty walking and his back legs were stiff,” said Renee Shumway, the Rehabilitation Practitioner who works with Paco at The AMC and said that his therapy consists mostly of massage and special exercises. “Today, he gets around pretty well for a senior dog.”

A wire-haired dachshund named Chanel previously held the record as the world's oldest pooch at 21 until her death on August 31 of natural causes at her owners' home in suburban Port Jefferson Station, on Long Island.