A dog who climbed Snowdon might be the oldest to ever do it - and managed the whole climb while mostly deaf and blind, and struggling with arthritis. Savvy turns 16 in September and loves walking but is showing signs of his age, so his owners decided to take him on one last big adventure.
Savvy lives in Portsmouth with his owners Becky Morgan, 39, her partner Shane Cardin, 46, and their three children - aged seven, 14 and 16. He loves walking around the local area and is used to walking six miles a day around Portsdown Hill and the New Forest.
But aged 15 years and 11 months, he took on his biggest challenge yet - climbing a mountain. Owner Becky said: "He’s not got long left, he’s coming to the end of his life and we wanted to give him one last holiday and a good walk.
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"It took three hours to get up with him and he walked the whole way up with some naps and a lot of water and treats. He was carried a little bit on the way down. We think he's possibly the oldest to get up there, and he's had a lot of love and attention for it from friends, family, and people in Snowdonia."
Savvy is a mongrel made up of 11 different breeds - mainly Staffordshire bull terrier, but also including chihuahua and cocker spaniel. Climbing a mountain sounds like a huge thing to ask of an ageing dog - but Becky said it's actually helped Savvy feel better.
She said: "He’s mostly blind and mostly deaf. He’s got arthritis in his spine and back legs. He’s on a lot of medication including a human-grade one, so the pain receptors are blocked. We don’t know if he’s got too much longer left but this has done him the world of good and he seems better."
On whether being mostly deaf and blind made the climb more of a challenge for Savvy, Becky said: "His central vision is fine. It’s his surround that's the problem, so he tends to knock into things not in his peripheral vision.
"He’ll always be on the lead and we guide him so he doesn’t have any falls. He hasn’t got a call back anymore but that doesn’t really affect him."
Savvy has been a much-loved dog to Becky, Shane and the three kids. Becky said: "He’s been an amazing companion. He doesn’t really go to other dogs, but all humans love him and he loves everyone. If children are in the house and they’re a bit nervous, he’s very good with them. The kids love him and all look out for him."
Sadly, Savvy's biggest trip may be his last. He's well enough to keep walking around Portsmouth, but it seems unlikely that he'll climb any more mountains - although Becky said: "You never know, and he’s definitely come back stronger.
"If you keep going on your legs with arthritis it does definitely keep you stronger. We’ll see."
There might be more chances for Savvy to get out if he's healthy enough, because the family have booked another trip to Wales - this time to Cwmbran. Becky said: "We usually go to Cornwall, Devon or the west country. But my family love exploring and Wales is great, so we thought we'd explore south Wales."
The family have applied for a Guinness World Record on Savvy's behalf - the oldest dog to climb Wales' tallest mountain - and are waiting to hear the outcome.
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