Mayo farm dog Skippy is believed to be one of the world’s oldest canines and has generated international interest since news of his longevity broke.
Owned by retired Erris suckler farmer Pat Geraghty, Skippy was born in 1995, making him over 130 years old in dog years.
The border collie has been a loyal companion to Pat (84) since he was just a few weeks’ old. Pat, who has been a regular at agricultural shows over the years, got him from from another suckler farmer in Barna.
While Skippy kept a beady eye on Pat’s cattle up to two years ago, his mobility is now impaired. Skippy has trouble getting up on his hind legs and needs to be lifted to stand up. He is also hard of hearing and enjoys the comfort of his straw bed in Pat’s shed.
While Skippy had gone through a phase of not eating, his appetite has now returned. Pat feeds him two tins of Brandy dog food a day, one in the morning and the other in the evening.
He also eats leftovers from Pat’s dinner, usually Irish stew, with potatoes, topped off with gravy.
“It’s like he has got a second wind,” said Pat’s nephew, Pearce, a London taxi driver who visited Pat last week.
“I was in America for the World Cup in ’94 and Pat got him the following summer,” he said.
Skippy was a well-known dog
Skippy was well-known locally for sitting at the gate, monitoring comings and goings.
“He is a lovely dog. Pat always had unusual dogs. I remember another dog he had from my childhood that would jump six to eight feet to catch stones that we would throw up in the air,” said Pearce.
However, Pat said that unlike Skippy, Tim the stone catcher was not a good cattle dog.
Pat, who worked on scaffolding in Sheffield, Lincoln and Crewe in the UK in the past, told Agriland that Skippy has always had a fear of fire and would not go into the house when the fire was lit.
Pat’s wife, Mary, died in 2017 and when she was unwell, Skippy was a regular visitor to her bedside. One of her last wishes was that Skippy would continue to be well looked after by Pat.
“I always liked dogs that were good with people and Skippy was a great cattle dog. His mother was also a very good cattle dog,” said Pat whose threshing machine is another source of pride and joy.
“It is around 80 years old, was made in Aberdeen and is still working,” he told Agriland.
Skippy’s story attracted global interest after his neighbour, camera man Fergus Sweeney, took to Twitter to highlight the canine’s longevity.
“The story got a lot of interest and if it was another man’s story, I would be interested too,” said Pat.