World’s oldest dog has title stripped by Guinness World Records
Bobi was a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, a breed which usually only lives until the age of 12 or 13.
More than a year after nabbing the Guinness World Record for world’s oldest dog, the winner has been posthumously stripped of his title.
Bobi, who was living on a farm in the tiny Portuguese village of Conquieros, had turned 30 in May 2022 – not only beating the previous record-holder by six years, but also making him the oldest dog who ever lived.
But following an investigation into doubts over Bobi’s age, his title was stripped – despite the Portuguese government’s pet database and the National Union of Veterinarians confirming Bobi’s birth date.
Bobi was a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, a breed which usually only lives until the age of 12 or 13.
Speculation arose when some noticed he was larger than many of the dogs who live beyond the age of 20, and he also appeared to be overweight in his final years.
Adding to the questions swirling around the mutt, pictures emerged ostensibly showing him as a younger pup – but they clearly showed a set of white paws which he didn’t have in his dotage.
At the forefront of the sceptics was vet Danny Chambers, who told the Guardian: ‘This is the equivalent of a human living to over 200 years old which, given our current medical capabilities, is completely implausible.
‘Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and no concrete evidence has been provided to prove his age.’
In an email last spring to Metro.co.uk, Bobi’s owner Leonel Costa said the process was ‘very specific’.
He wrote: ‘Guinness is a credible institution and asked me for many documents, such as photos, videos, media articles (newspapers), witnesses, BOBI’s birth records, veterinary reports from different veterinarians i.e. it was not just BOBI’s usual veterinarian, I did some exams for them to give their opinion…
‘It wasn’t an easy process but that’s the only way to confirm it.’
The title of the oldest dog in history has now been returned to Bluey, an Australian cattle dog who died at the age of 29 in 1939 – and later gave her name to the beloved children’s cartoon character.
In May of 2023, Metro reporter Craig Munro made a pilgrimage to party with Bobi for his alleged 31st birthday.
He described the event: ‘I find it hard to describe just how bizarre it is to see this dog, and know he’s 31. Over the course of the evening, he was very sociable.
‘He would walk around the courtyard with a slight limp, getting fed slices of spit-roasted pork and playing with Ava Gardner, the three-year-old dog of a visiting Portuguese journalist.
‘It was like being introduced to your friend’s elderly aunt, thinking she’s quite sprightly for 80 years old, and then discovering she’s actually the same age as Isaac Newton.’
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