Uncle Chichi, a toy poodle that may have been the oldest living dog, has died after being euthanized, his New York owners said. Age: unknown.

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Uncle Chichi died Tuesday after battling cancer for a year, The New York Times reported. When Uncle Chichi was born, that's a trickier one to answer -- he could have been 24, 25, 26 -- the record isn't clear.

When his owners considered trying to get him in Guinness World Records in 2010 after he'd almost died, the proof needed -- puppy photographs and veterinary records -- were nowhere to be found, the Times said.

His health had begun declining more than a decade ago but with treatment for cataracts, glaucoma and a corneal ulcer, he kept coming back to his home in the West Village, kept fetching even after he lost his sight and hearing, and attended the wedding of his owners, Frank Pavich and Janet Puhalovic, in Croatia in October 2010.

The couple said the cancer left them no choice but to euthanize him.

Frank Pavich said Uncle Chichi was adopted from the John Ancrum Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Charleston, S.C., 24 years ago, when shelter officials indicated he was between 1 and 2 years old.

The dog that had been listed as Guinness' oldest living dog, Pusuke, a 26-year-old Japanese mutt, died in December. Guinness had not responded to an inquiry about Pusuke's successor, the Times said.