Pebbles, world's oldest dog, dies at 22: Spent life 'enjoying country music and being loved'

Wyatte Grantham-Philips, USA TODAY
·2 min read
Pebbles "was a once in a lifetime companion," her owners wrote in a news release. She died Monday, months from her 23rd birthday.
Pebbles "was a once in a lifetime companion," her owners wrote in a news release. She died Monday, months from her 23rd birthday.

Pebbles, who held the title of the world's oldest living dog, has died. She was 22.

The 4-pound toy fox terrier died on Monday from natural causes – months away from her 23rd birthday, according to Guinness World Records. Pebbles spent her last moments in her South Carolina home, beside owners Bobby and Julie Gregory.

"She was a once in a lifetime companion, and it was our honor to have had the blessing to have had her as a pet, and family member," Julie Gregory wrote in a news release.

Pebbles was born March 28, 2000, in New York. Guinness World Records confirmed that the pup was the world's oldest in May.

After seeing headlines about TobyKeith, a 21-year-old chihuahua from Florida who was named the world's oldest living dog, the Gregorys realized that Pebbles was older and applied for the record.

In May: Pebbles the toy fox terrier named world's oldest living dog at 22 

Are you stressed? Your dog can probably smell it, according to a new study 

TobyKeith was born on Jan. 9, 2001, which makes him more than eight months younger than Pebbles.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by REMEMBERING PEBBLES (@pebbles_since_2000)

In 2000, the family was looking for a larger breed of dog to adopt when they found Pebbles.

“She was jumping and barking so much at Bobby that he had no choice but to pick her up and check her out," Julie told Guinness. "It was instant love the second the two met."

The couple said Pebbles was the queen of their home ever since.

Pebbles lived a long life full of love, her family said – noting that she spent her days listening to country music, sleeping in until 5 o’clock in the afternoon and trying new foods. According to Guinness, Pebbles' veterinarian placed her on a cat food diet for the last 10 years of her life, but she got to occasionally indulge – like when she got a stack of ribs for her 22nd birthday.

"She spent her days enjoying country music and being loved," Julie Gregory wrote, adding that the pup "was pampered."

Pebbles spent her days "enjoying country music and being loved," her owners wrote in a tribute.
Pebbles spent her days "enjoying country music and being loved," her owners wrote in a tribute.

Pebbles had 32 puppies in her lifetime with her partner, Rocky, the press release said. Rocky died in 2016, but the two "shared many years of companionship."

"She impacted everyone she encountered," Julie Gregory wrote. "There was never anyone who met Pebbles that didn’t love her. She will be deeply missed."

What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day 

Contributing: Asha Gilbert

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: World's oldest dog, Pebbles, dies at 22: Spent life 'being loved'

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Argentine scientists find speedy 90-million-year-old herbivore dinosaur

    Paleontologists from Argentina announced the discovery of a new medium-sized herbivorous dinosaur, which was a fast runner and lived about 90 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous period in present day Patagonia. The animal, named Chakisaurus nekul, was found in the Pueblo Blanco Natural Reserve, in the southern province of Río Negro, an area rich in fossils where many mammals, turtles, and fish have been found along with other species of dinosaur. It is estimated that the largest Chakisaurus reached 2.5 or 3 meters long and was 70 centimeters high (8 to 10 feet long and 27 inches high).

  • Baron Real Estate Fund Sold Equinix (EQIX) on Share Appreciation

    Baron Funds, an investment management company, released its “Baron Real Estate Fund” first quarter 2024 investor letter. A copy of the same can be downloaded here. The fund had a strong performance in the quarter and generated a gain of 8.28% (Institutional Shares). The Fund beat both the MSCI US REIT Index (the REIT Index), […]

  • Girl, 13, charged with attempted murder after two teachers and pupil stabbed at Welsh school

    Three individuals being treated for stab wounds after incident at school in Wales

  • Booker prize urged to consider name change over slavery link

    Radio DJ Richie Brave, whose ancestors were enslaved, says organisers should ‘asking themselves some questions’

  • The TikTok law kicks off a new showdown between Beijing and Washington. What's coming next?

    WASHINGTON (AP) — TikTok is gearing up for a legal fight against a U.S. law that would force the social media platform to break ties with its China-based parent company, a move almost certainly backed by Chinese authorities as the bitter U.S.-China rivalry threatens the future of a wildly popular way for young people in America to connect online. Beijing has signaled TikTok should fight what it has called a “robbers” act by U.S. lawmakers “to snatch from others all the good things that they have

  • ‘Insecure’s’ Amanda Seales: I’m Done ‘Protecting’ Issa Rae

    Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagicActress Amanda Seales, who starred on all five seasons of the hit, Issa Rae-helmed HBO comedy Insecure, put her former boss on blast during a sit-down with Club Shay Shay host Shannon Sharpe this week.Recounting tension between herself and Rae’s publicist, Vanessa Anderson, when she had attended an event with Jill Scott, Seales said that she felt that Anderson had a problem with her. “I said to Issa, I don’t know what’s going on with your publicist, but she got something wr

  • Steve Wyche on what stood out from Caleb Williams Pro Day in March 'NFL Draft Kickoff'

    Chief National Reporter Steve Wyche on what stood out from USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams Pro Day in March.

  • Even Nvidia Can't Pull Off This Feat. Only One AI Stock Has.

    Outshining AI giants Nvidia, Meta and Google, HubSpot has secured placement on three premier stock screens.

  • Buckie ineligible for play-off as East Kilbride progress

    Saturday's Pyramid Play-Off tie between Buckie Thistle and East Kilbride is cancelled after the Highland League champions fail to meet Scottish FA licensing requirements.

  • GB's Sawyers 'devastated' to miss Olympics with injury

    Team GB long jumper Jazmine Sawyers will miss this summer's Olympic Games in Paris through injury.

  • Dust Devil Swirls in Rural Alberta

    A dust devil was spotted swirling in rural southeast Alberta recently amid arid conditions in the region.This footage was taken by Tadhg O’Connor, who said he filmed it while working at a construction site near Oyen on April 23.It was the second dust devil sighting in less than a week for O’Connor, who saw one nearby the weekend before.According to the National Weather Service, dust devils are generally considered to be a “common” wind phenomenon, created by strong surface heating. Credit: Tadhg O’Connor via Storyful

  • Meghan Markle’s Strawberry Jam Is the New Ivy Park Box

    Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/InstagramIf Meghan Markle’s lifestyle brand American Riveria Orchard and its strawberry jam are all part of a grand plan to troll the royal family, chances are it’s working. Although the sugary preserves have yet to hit store shelves, people are already smacking their lips thanks to a brilliant PR campaign that rips a page right out of Queen Beyoncé’s marketing handbook. Left and right, a select few celebrities have begun rushing to post video

  • Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole, a welcome voice for a half-century, dead at 90

    Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole, known for his "Oh baby!" catchphrase, called some of the most iconic games in hockey as part of CBC's "Hockey Night in Canada" broadcast team. His distinctive play-by-play style added even more flavour to the 1972 Summit Series, the 2002 Olympic final in Salt Lake City and numerous Stanley Cup finals. But Cole was more than hockey. He called Bob Beamon’s world-record long jump at the 1968 Olym

  • Sneak Preview of ‘Next-gen Fashion Gaming’ on Show in Berlin

    Berlin-based fashion gamers have been working with German designer Esther Perbandt. A collaboration that will be shown on the sidelines of Berlin Gallery Weekend previews what their next-generation digital fashion game can do.

  • Why Prince Harry Might Not Return to the U.K. for the Invictus Games Anniversary

    He was expected to make a trip across the pond next month.

  • Billions of bottles: Canadian statistics paint grim picture of plastic litter problem

    OTTAWA — New Canadian data suggest that over a nine-year period between 2012 and 2020, the equivalent of more 15 billion plastic bottles and as many as 14 billion plastic grocery bags became litter in Canada's environment. The data come as Canadian negotiators are at an Ottawa convention centre with peers from 174 other countries trying to hammer out a global agreement to eliminate plastic waste. The numbers are part of a new dataset Statistics Canada compiled to support the federal government's

  • Toyota reveals two new EVs for China

    Toyota reveals two new EVs for China, but with few details. We don't expect them to come to the U.S.

  • Labour MP who accused Israel of genocide could have the whip restored within days

    An MP suspended by Labour after accusing Israel of genocide in a post about Holocaust Memorial Day is set to have the whip restored within days.

  • IBM Strikes $6.4 Billion Deal For HashiCorp, But 'Slower Start' To Year Dings Stock

    IBM stock slipped after the computing giant reported first quarter earnings ahead of expectations, with sales slightly below.

  • Our favorite budget webcam is 20 percent off right now

    The Anker PowerConf C200 webcam is 20 percent off right now via Amazon or directly from the company. This brings the price down to $48.