From cats and dogs to more exotic pets, animals add so much colour and joy to human lives. While all pets are special, some of our animal companions are a little more memorable than most. Record-breaking animals come in all shapes and sizes, from the world's tallest dog to the loudest purring cat and a turtle that's been around longer than any human. Let's take a look at some pet world records to see if your beloved pet has what it takes to enter the record books.
Freddy the dog from the United Kingdom is the proud holder of a bonafide Guinness World Record. Freddy is the tallest dog in the world at 1.035 metres, eating 1kg of minced beef each day alongside 250g of casserole steak and 300g of liver. Weighing in at a massive 95kg and standing at 2.25 metres on his hind legs, Freddy is walked early in the morning due to the attention he attracts wherever he goes. Freddy has destroyed 26 sofas so far, and plans to destroy several more as he lives a long and happy life with his sister Fleur and loving human family.
For another record entirely, Otto the dog breaks all expectations as the number one famous skateboarding dog from Peru. An internet star and world-renowned skater doggo, Otto holds the Guinness World Record for the longest human tunnel travelled through by a dog. Back in 2015, Otto glided through the legs of 30 people in this home town of Lima, without any human assistance and lots of smiles along the way. Otto became a skater when his human discovered the renowned videos of Tillman, the fastest dog on a skateboard who sadly passed away in 2015.
When it comes to cats, there's something they can do better than most. Merlin the cat has the world record for the loudest purr, which was registered in his English home at 67.8 decibels. Merlin narrowly beat the previous record holder, Smokey - another British pet who wasn't quite loud enough at just 67.68 decibels. Merlin’s purr is as noisy as an air conditioner and nearly as loud as a dishwasher, which means you always know when he's around. While not quite as large as Freddy the dog, the tallest domestic cat title is held by Arcturus the cat at 48.4 cm.
Not all pets are furry, with dogs and cats just two examples of human-animal relationships. For the oldest living land animal, we have to look at something a little more exotic, with Jonathan the turtle doing very well at an impressive 187 years old. Born in 1832 prior to the coronation of Queen Victoria, Jonathan doesn't look a day over 150. Jonathan is just months away from taking out the oldest turtle of all time title currently held by Tu’i Malila, so let's all wish him and his owners in the Seychelles the best of luck. For more amazing pet world records, the Guinness World Records website has entire sections devoted to dogs, cats, and animals of all kinds.