Turning 20 is a big deal. Especially when you’re a dog. According to Golden Hearts, there have been accounts of golden retrievers reaching the age of 19 but never the age of 20.

August, or Augie for short, is the first!

That’s why this Tennessee dog’s parents threw her an awesome 20th birthday bash. And it was a very well deserved party.

You see Augie didn’t have the easiest start at life. Poor Augie had to be re-homed twice.

But his last home was the very best home.

Augie was adopted by Jennifer and Steve Hetterscheidt of Oakland, Tennessee. They run their own golden retriever rescue and adopted Augie when she was 14-years-old.

“On April 24, 2000, August (affectionately known as Augie) was born. After being rehomed twice (due to no fault of her own), she eventually landed with Jennifer and Steve Hetterscheidt of Oakland, Tennessee, and it’s still unclear who the lucky ones are here,” Augie’s bio says.

The Hetterscheidts knew how hard it is for senior dogs to get adopted since people might not want to take on the health conditions of an older dog and many people will opt for a puppy.

So, they decided to make Augie part of their family. But now, even at 20-years-old, Augie is in good health.

She does subcutaneous fluids twice a week to help perk her up. She’s had kidney issues since she was 14 but a special diet and supplements take care of that.

She can get around quite well and loves going for walks around the yard but she’s a bit shaky when she first gets up.

The fact that she’s lived to 20 in itself is a miracle.

Most golden retrievers only live between 10 and 12-years-old. It’s common to hear one that lived to 13, 14, or 15 but lots will live shorter lives than that.

The Hetterscheidts are professionals when it comes to caring for senior dogs.

“We care for them as long as we have them, and love them forever,” Augie’s owners said.

Now Augie’s life is filled with lots of love from his human parents and fellow golden retriever siblings.

Augie also has some feline siblings.

She’s even traveled around the country in her parents’ RV.

One of her favorite pastimes is getting to play in the pool.

For her 20th birthday, the Hetterscheidts threw Augie a lovely party.

They made her a special carrot cake covered in frosting and shaped like a bone.

“She had a dog-friendly carrot cake, the interior of the house was completely decorated,” Jennifer Hetterscheidt told CNN. “She got all her favorite foods like blueberries, bread and pasta, of course, in moderation.”

She also got a birthday banner with beautiful stars, big gold letters that spell out “Happy 20th Birthday August” and an adorable portrait of her looking her best.

And no birthday party would be complete without your friends.

So, Augie spent the day with three of her best friends including Sherman, Belle, and Bruce.

They had originally planned a much bigger birthday bash that was supposed to have 100 people in attendance.

But that big party had to be canceled because of coronavirus.

Hopefully, they’ll get to throw a big bash for Augie’s 21st birthday.

“She’s just darling. There’s nothing to not love about her,” Jennifer Hetterscheidt said. “She’s happy doing something and happy doing nothing. I can’t imagine life without her.”

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Article Sources:

FOX 10 Phoenix

Golden Hearts

CNN

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By D.G. Sciortino

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D.G. is a contributing writer in Shareably. She's based in Connecticut and can be reached at [email protected].