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Posted on 03/08/2026 5:10:38 AM PDT by libstripper
Milestone Celebration: Bella, a chocolate Labrador, celebrated her 17th birthday with a special cake, outfit, and family serenade, capturing hearts on TikTok.
Animal lovers have shown major love to a senior dog who recently celebrated a major milestone: turning 17.
Bella is a chocolate Labrador retriever and the adored pet of Tara, who posts to TikTok under the username @taratessone.
A vital part of the family, Bella appears several times on Tara’s account—but her most recent video has proved massively popular, as millions of strangers flocked to wish Bella a happy 17th birthday.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
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Publication date should be Mar. 4, 2026.
Am I dreaming, or didn’t it used to be just normal for dogs to live 17 and a bit older? In any case, God bless this lab. I am convinced God sent dogs as angels in disguise.
I had 2 Havanese live to 17 but none of my labs lived to 10 years old.
Smaller ankle-biters tend to live longer than larger dogs - 14 is a ripe old age for most dogs that are big enough to actually be called “dog”...
My elderly parents have had large dogs over the years such as German Shepherds, Akitas and Standard Poodles. 10 years was about max for those dogs, but their last poodle made it to about 12. When I was growing up as a kid my grandparents had a dachshund that lived to be around 17..
Used to be my Dobermans made it to their teens.
After the new “ vaccine protocols “ pushed by vets, it started dropping, especially with the Parvovirus jabs.
DCM is the enemy of many breeds now and there’s a connection between parvovirus and cardiac disease.
I miss the old days when they got required rabies shots and needed nothing else because vaccinated dogs weren’t shedding viruses everywhere.
And I’m sure I’ll hear outrage for saying that but whatever.
🙁
No outrage from me. You are spot on. I do minimal puppy vaccines, test for titers to make sure there’s immune response, and then only do the required 3 year rabies vax when needed. And when they get old I ask my vet to write an exemption for that even. My shortest lived GSP was 12 and longest was a week shy of his 15th birthday.
Oohhh...so sweet looking...she looks a lot like our Abby, a lab/aussie mix who lived to 16...who was the best dog ever.
Our Chihuahua is 18 going on 19 and still pretty spry.
Awww... beautiful birthday girl. 😊
Thanks for posting the picture.
I believe dogs worm their way into your heart and then break it when they leave you.
My mother had a West Highland White terrier which lived to 18.
When her dog died, the pain for her was so much that she never owned a dog again.
A friend said, “The greatest injustice in life is the short lifespans of our dogs.”
I’ve owned black labs (American and British) most of my life. I’m sort of doubtful this one is 17. Age shows in the grey hair in their snouts, paws, chest etc.
My current black lab is a close-stock (Saint John’s Water dog) pedigree American black lab. She’s 11, with white on her paws, her chest (medallion), eyebrows etc. My (also) Bella has had excellent health but looks older than this “17 year old” dog.
Chocolate labs are usually a cross between a yellow and a black. This one looks to have some Irish Setter or similar in her. Her coat’s a bit too long and thick for an older black lab.
“I believe dogs worm their way into your heart and then break it when they leave you.”
Oh, so painfully true. The one who really hurt my was my late, great Great Dane. He was 10 years old and one day I suddenly found himm deceased, lying between the dining area and the kitchen. Never before or since have I had a dog who was so instinctively considerate, decent, and compassionate. If he’d been born as a human, he’d have made a superb Catholic priest, Jewish Rabbi, or Protestant minister and been an incredible credit to his religion. I feel uniquely blessed for having been his human for the ten beutiful years of his wonderful life. Must stop now, I’m tearing up, and he’s been gone for four years.
Grew up with Dobes as well, oldest one we ever had lived to 12. Don’t remember even hearing about DCM until just recently. My parents have two Dobes now, the oldest is 11. He’s slowed down a lot but still has spurts of energy here and there playing with the 2 yr old. BTW same 2 yr old figured out how to open the sliding glass door by the time she was 8 months old lol no other Dobe we’ve ever had even attempted it but at 6 months old, soon as she could get up on her hind legs and reach, she was letting herself back in the house.
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