Birthdays aren’t always important to us as grown-ups, but there are milestones that deserve the attention. For example, when you become the oldest living creature of your kind.

Now, did August (aka “Augie”) know that she turned 20 on April 24, 2020, making her the oldest living Golden Retriever? No. But did she enjoy her carrot cake anyway? We’re going to guess she did.

When GoldHeart Golden Retrievers Rescue posted photos of her birthday along with the statement of her rare, old age, people were understandably charmed. In fact, the post has been shared over 30,000 times on Facebook alone!

Clearly, the world was ready to celebrate with her.

Augie has a pretty great life as well, despite the fact that she was already a senior dog when she came to the Golden Retriever Rescue of Southern Nevada at age 14!

It’s hard to adopt out senior animals, especially when they’re already two years past the average age (most Goldens live from 10-12 years, though there are always exceptions). Lucky for her, Jennifer and Steve Hetterscheidt, from Oakland, Tennessee had experience and were ready to make her final years her best.

A dog-lover named Jake, who runs the Golden Hearts Rescue blog, told more of her story. She had been re-homed twice in her life already through no fault of her own. And when the Hetterscheidts adopted her, they had already been involved in the Golden rescue community for years. They knew what they were getting into.

But they could have never expected to have Augie for 6 more years! And while their love and care no doubt contributed to her long life, it’s conceivable that she could have spent that time in a kennel.

Augie also has cat and dog siblings to keep her young and spritely. She gets to go on RV trips, play fetch, swim, and live an otherwise active life.

Of course, old age has an effect on us all eventually. And while Augie is largely health for her age, she does have some mobility issues first thing in the morning as well as some long-term kidney problems.

But with special food and some supplements, she’s still enjoying life and her daily walks around the yard. Her owners also say that the subcutaneous (SQ) fluids they give her twice a week perk her up quite a bit.

As for her birthday party, it was a low-key but still festive affair attended by mostly family. Her parents took photos and her Golden siblings Sherman, Belle, and Bruce were in attendance.

We imagine the rest of the brood was around somewhere as well, especially when the treats came out.

A cake, banners, festive decor, and flowers littered the back porch where she sat regally, allowing those who loved her to bestow attention on her.

We don’t know whether or not she chose to share her dog-friendly carrot cake with her siblings, but at such an old age no one could blame her for housing the whole darn thing.

And while commenters sweetly bragged about their own long-lived Goldens, Augie is in a class of her own.

“There are many accounts of 17 or 18-year-old goldens, and even a few stories about 19-year-old goldens, but Augie is the first golden retriever to ever reach the big two-oh,” explained Jake from GoldHeart Golden Retrievers Rescue.

We’ll be looking out for photos from her 21st birthday next year!

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Source: WBIR News, Golden Hearts, GoldHeart Golden Retrievers Rescue via Facebook