The world’s oldest dog ever recorded has passed away at the age of 31 years and 165 days. Bobi, a Guinness World Record holder, was a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo (Alentejo mastiff). He died at his home in Portugal on Saturday.
His death was announced on social networks by a veterinarian who met Bobi on several occasions. “Despite outliving every dog in history, his 11478 days on Earth would never be enough for those who loved him,” wrote Dr. Karen Becker. Bobi became both the world’s longest-living dog and the oldest dog in history in February of this year; the former, surpassing a record that was nearly a century old for the latter title.
The Oldest Dog in the World?
The oldest dog previously recorded was Bluey of Australia, who died in 1939 at the age of 29 years and five months. Bobi’s advanced age was validated by the Portuguese government’s pet database, which is managed by the National Union of Veterinarians.
The identity of Bobi’s successor to the title of the world’s oldest living dog has not yet been revealed. Bobi spent his entire life with the Costa family in the village of Conqueiros, near Portugal’s west coast, after being born with three siblings in an outbuilding. Leonel Costa, who was eight years old at the time, said his parents had too many animals and had to put the puppies down, but Bobi managed to escape.
Mr. Costa and his siblings kept the dog’s existence a secret from their parents until he was finally discovered and became part of the family, who fed him the same food they all ate at home. Aside from a scare in 2018, when he was hospitalized after suddenly collapsing due to respiratory problems, Bobi enjoyed a relatively trouble-free life and thought the secret to his longevity was the peaceful environment in which he lived.
However, the dog had experienced walking difficulties and worsening eyesight before his death. Bobi was not the only dog in the Costa family to live long. Bobi’s mother lived to the age of 18, while another of the family dogs died at the age of 22.
This story was written in Spanish by Miguel Fernández in Cultura Colectiva News
