World's Oldest Dog 'Was Like My Baby Boy'
Josh Halliday, Sky News Online
The owner of the world's oldest dog which died from stomach cancer has paid tribute to her beloved pet.
Otto was put down after he developed stomach cancer
Otto, a 20-year-old daschund, is due to be cremated after being put down by a vet yesterday.
Owner Lynn Jones, 54, from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, said: "I have cried all morning, I am devastated.
He was like the son I never had, my baby boy. Owner Lynn Jones 'devastated' by 20-year-old Otto's death
"He died at 10.10am and I feel like I've lost my right arm. I know I soud like a wuss, but he was like the son I never had, my baby boy.
"I am glad he is not suffering any longer but I wanted him with me forever."
Mrs Jones and husband Peter, 68, took Otto to be put down after the stomach tumour began to worsen.
"We found out yesterday that he had a very large tumour in his stomach and last night I felt that he was trying to tell us something," she said.
"He couldn't sit or lie down comfortably and he was trying to tell us that he'd had enough, so we made the decision to end his suffering and took him to the vet this morning."
Peter Jones with Otto. Image courtesy ShropshireStar.com
Otto, who would have been 21 on February 14, was officially crowned the oldest dog in the world by the Guinness Book of Records in October last year.
Paul O'Grady presented Otto with the certificate on his show in November last year.
Tributes, including this blog post from Guinness World Records, soon began to break out online as fans learned of the death.
England with Shropshire highlighted in red.
The world's oldest dog, who answered to the name of Otto, has died at the age of 20. Otto, who was a Dachshund, was born and lived in Shrewsbury, in the county of Shropshire in England.

The dog had to be put down by a vet on Thursday after it was discovered that the animal had developed stomach cancer.  The dog's date of birth was February 14, 1989, which means that Otto would have been 21 years old 31 days after his death occurred.  Lynn Jones and her husband Peter had both owned the dog since he was six weeks old.  Otto was officially declared the oldest dog in the world by the Guinness Book of Records in October 2009.  He was cremated on Friday.

Now Lynn Jones has payed tribute to her pet. "I have cried all morning, I am devastated," she said. "He died at 10:10AM and I feel like I've lost my right arm. I know I sound like a wuss, but he was like the son I never had, my baby boy. I am glad he is not suffering any longer but I wanted him with me forever. We found out yesterday that he had a very large tumour in his stomach and last night I felt that he was trying to tell us something. He couldn't sit or lie down comfortably and he was trying to tell us that he'd had enough, so we made the decision to end his suffering and took him to the vet Thursday morning."