Oldest dog turns 21 (147 in dog years)

NEW YORK, May 6 (UPI) -- The owner of the world's oldest dog said the elderly canine is marking her 21st birthday with a party in New York.

Denice Shaughnessy of Port Jefferson Station, N.Y., said her dachshund, Chanel, would celebrate 21 years -- 147 dog years -- at a party in New York's Manhattan borough with a few of her closest canine comrades, the New York Post reported Wednesday.

Chanel was named the world's oldest dog by the Guinness Book of World Records after a 28-year-old beagle died last year.

Shaughnessy, who adopted Chanel as a 6-week-old puppy, said old age has not tempered the dog's independent streak.

"She's independent. If she didn't want to do something, she had a look she would give, and she usually got her way," Shaughnessy said.

The owner said Chanel, who has to wear glasses to compensate for cataracts, now spends most of her time relaxing at home.

"She used to run 3 miles with me every day," Shaughnessy said. "She still enjoys a walk, but now she's carried for a lot of it."