Still full of woof-ful enthusiasm at 103 Toddy is a contender for oldest dog in Scotland

Toddy the terrier, from Denny, is a strong contender for being Scotland’s oldest pooch.

The cairn cross turns 22-years-old this autumn, which is a staggering 103 in dog years.

Toddy was found as a stray on the streets of Raploch when he was picked up by a council warden and taken to the pound at Bandeath in 1999.

When Chris Sheffield, 62, turned up to adopt the dog, he was told not to hold his breath if he expected a long life ahead of him due to a number of health concerns, including a heart murmur that had been detected by vets.

However, more than two decades later, Toddy is still going strong, much to the delight of his owner.

Chris, from Denny, said: “We’d been looking for a dog for a while and my friend was the duty sergeant in Stirling at the time.

“He called us and said there was a gorgeous wee dog who had just been picked up and we should come and see him.

“We went along and, in those days, you put down a deposit and waited a week to see if anyone came to claim him.

“When no one came, he was ours, and Toddy, who had been quite shy in the kennel, became a gremlin in our house, marking his territory and settling in straight away. He’s not a full blown Cairn terrier so I call him Toddy the terrorist and we named him Toddy because of the colour of his fur.”

He added: “They said he would maybe live to around 12 but here he is, still going strong at almost double the time they predicted.

“Over the years, my kids have grown up and my wife passed away, so Toddy is the only original family member left in the house apart from me.”

Chris added: “I think he is incredible and he must surely be the oldest dog in Scotland?

“When we meet people in the park, I’ve stopped telling them his age.

“They act like they think I’ve been on the whisky when I say he’s 21 because he doesn’t seem it.”