3 min readNew DelhiMay 18, 2026 09:16 AM IST
A tiny Papillon dwarf spaniel named Lazare, believed to have been the “world’s oldest dog”, has died in southeastern France at the age of 30 years and five months.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that it had contacted Guinness World Records to determine whether Lazare had officially held the longevity record before his death on Thursday, but had not received an immediate response.
Born on December 4, 1995, Lazare was popular for its upright “butterfly” ears typical of his breed. According to an animal charity worker, Anne-Sophie Moyon, Lazare spent nearly its entire life with one owner before arriving at a shelter after she died.
“He had been found next to the body of his owner,” France 24 quoted Ophelie Boudol, the 29-year-old single mother who adopted Lazare last month.
Watch here:
Boudol originally visited the shelter hoping to find a pet for her mother, but instead formed an immediate bond with the elderly dog. “I spent half an hour sitting next to him, then I said, ‘Listen, if nobody wants to take him, I don’t mind — as long as he gets on with the cats,’” she told AFP.
Lazare moved into Boudol’s home in the town of Villy-le-Pelloux, where the dog joined her nine-year-old son and two cats. She affectionately called it “our little grandpa baby”.
Despite its advanced age, Lazare was described as gentle and affectionate. At 30, the dog wore nappies, had lost both his hearing and eyesight, and slept for most of the day. Still, Boudol said Lazare retained a spirited personality. “He really has such an endearing personality,” Boudol said earlier this week while cradling him at home.
Lazare died only weeks after being adopted.
“He started slipping away in my arms last night,” Boudol said after the dog’s death. “He was off to reunite with his first carer.”
Story continues below this ad
Moyon said shelter workers were astonished when they realised Lazare’s age and began investigating whether it could be the oldest dog ever recorded. “We thought Lazare might be the world’s oldest dog,” she said. Staff members verified his birth date through two official registries and submitted paperwork to Guinness World Records “as a joke”, she added.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
