We may never know if he was the oldest dog in the world, but he sure was loved and appreciated.
Dog owner Harry Williams Jr. had to put his buddy, Smokey, to sleep May 31. When Smokey's quality of life took a turn for the worse, Williams said he had no choice but to put him down.
Still, there's reason to rejoice.
Smokey lived to be 24 years old -- that's 168 in human years.
News 4's Jennifer Doren brought us their story in March.
Wiliams scooped the labrador-chow-rhodesian ridgeback mutt off the side of the highway back in 1987 in rural North Carolina. Williams said he tried to give the dog away but no one would take him.
Little did he know they'd be stuck together for more than two decades.
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There’s a chance Smokey could be the oldest living dog, but because he was a stray, there is no birth certificate to back up his age. The Guinness Book of World Records requires such proof.
The oldest dog in history lived to be 29.
