Love Your Pet Day: Record-breaking pets that made history
Our beloved pets are capable of amazing things and, here at Guinness World Records, we love to celebrate their achievements – especially on Love Your Pet Day.
From record-breaking traits to jaw-dropping tricks, here are some of the most inspiring and entertaining achievements by pets around the world.
Sweetie the miniature horse
Sweetie the tiny trotter has the longest tail on a miniature horse, with her luscious locks measuring in at 181.02 cm (5 ft 11.26 in) – longer than the height of an average person.
She lives in South Carolina, USA, with her owner Risa Formisano, who washes and conditions Sweetie’s tail twice a year and combs it very delicately, using hair detangler gel and hair oils.
Bao Zi the skateboarding cat
The daring and lovable American Shorthair cat, Bao Zi, has skated his way into the record books with his impressive skills.
Owned by Li Jiangtao (China), Bao Zi set the world record for the fastest 10 metres on a skateboard by a cat, completing the feat in just 12.85 seconds.
Li and Bao Zi share a very special bond: “For me, Bao Zi's presence is extraordinary. He’s like a ray of light in the darkness.”
Creole the speedy chick
Why did the chicken cross the road?
To break a world record, of course.
Talented Creole holds the record title for the fastest time to complete an agility course by a chicken, with just 1 minute and 2 seconds.
Zoe Amaya Tomas (USA), Creole’s coach, is a highly skilled chicken trainer with years of experience in working with birds. Her passion for feathered friends began at the age of five when she started training her pet pigeon.
A few years later, she turned her focus to chickens, believing them to be remarkably intelligent.
Today, Zoe’s expertise extends far beyond chickens – she also trains falcons, canaries, pigeons, and even turkeys.
Leonard the basketball player
Leonard Lee is no ordinary pooch, he’s a horse-riding, masterpiece-painting, book-balancing, basketball-slam-dunking legend!
In just one minute, he dunked 22 balls into a hoop, achieving the most basketball slam dunks in one minute by a dog.
The Border Collie from USA made his attempt at the Lazy Dog Restaurants, which donated a portion of their proceeds to a local animal rescue.
About a year later, he followed that up with a second record, this time for the greatest distance by a dog balancing a book on the head in one minute – 17.30 m (56 ft 9 in).
Record-breaking duo Bonnie and Simba
Bonnie, a five-year-old Spaniel, and Simba, a three-year-old Border Collie, are pawtners in crime who live in Reading, UK with their owner and trainer, Olga Jones.
They hold all the following records:
- Fastest time to complete 10 side leapfrog jumps by two dogs (16.78 sec)
- Most bottles deposited into a recycling bin by a dog in one minute (16)
- Most coins deposited into a bottle by a dog in one minute (13)
- Most clothes hung on a washing line by a dog in one minute (17)
Apollo the parrot
Apollo is a TikTok star, a beloved pet, and a record-breakingly intelligent bird.
The four-year-old African grey parrot identified 12 objects, including 'bug,' 'book' and 'socks', setting the record for most items identified by a parrot in three minutes.
Exactly how smart is Apollo?
He is described as having the intelligence of a human toddler, as he recognizes colours, words and objects, and he can count, communicate clearly and answer complex questions.
Peanut Butter the gamer
For years, the idea of a dog collaring a speedrun record would have been considered barking mad.
But the achievement of a four-year-old Shiba Inu has given the gaming world paws for thought.
With some guidance from his owner – speedrunner JSR – Peanut Butter finished Nintendo’s 1985 puzzle platformer Gyromite in 23 min 9 sec, becoming the first dog to hold a speedrun record.
His owner told GWR: “PB broke his own record last night with a nearly PERFECT run.”
Good boy!