An Australian kelpie called Maggie has passed away this week, and her owner thinks she may just be the world's oldest dog.

Maggie had lived on Brian McLaren's dairy farm in Woolsthorpe, southern Victoria, since she was just eight weeks old.

"We got her when she was only a little pup. We believe she was pretty close to 30 years old, if not she was at least 29-and-a-half," Mr McLaren said.

According to the Guinness World Records, the oldest age recorded for a dog is 29 years and five months — for another Australian working dog named Bluey.

The McLaren family brought Maggie home before their son, who is now 34, had started attending school.

"When the kids were growing up they'd get off the bus at 4:10pm and if they weren't, she'd be there barking at 4:15," Mr McLaren said.

Maggie worked on the farm rounding up cows until about 12 years ago.

"She wasn't pampered but she was well looked after. She always had milk — not too much of it, but she loved her milk — and anything else she'd wanted," Mr McLaren said.

"She loved chasing the motorbike. When she was up and going she would want to run along beside it, so the faster you went, the quicker she would run.

"She had the greatest life."

Mr McLaren said Maggie passed away peacefully, curled up in her bed, on Sunday night.

"The best thing about it is the last couple of weeks I was petrified I was going to have to put her down, and that was going to break my heart," he said.

"I'm so pleased she went the way she went."