The Guinness Book of world records on Tuesday declared Bobi as the oldest dog at 30 years and 266 days of age. He is not just the oldest dog living; he’s the oldest dog ever.
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The Guinness World Records took to Twitter to announce the new record while sharing a video of Bobi. “New record: Oldest dog EVER – Bobi at 30 years and 266 days. The secret to a long life, according to human Leonel Costa, is free roaming, human food and socialising with other animals”, the caption read.
Bobi belongs to the purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo breed which has an average life expectancy of 12-14 years.
{{/usCountry}}Bobi belongs to the purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo breed which has an average life expectancy of 12-14 years.
{{/usCountry}}Bobi was born on May 11, 1992, and lived his entire life with the Costa family in the rural village of Conqueiros, in Leiria, Portugal. The livestock guardian dog has broken an almost century-old record of Bluey (1910-1939), an Australian cattle dog who lived to be 29 years and 5 months old.
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Serviço Medico-Veterinário do Município de Leiria (Veterinary Medical Service of the Municipality of Leiria) and SIAC, a pet database authorized by the Portuguese government, confirmed Bobi’s birth date who was registered in the municipality in 1992, the Guinness records in its report said.
As per the report, Bobi was born as one of four male pups, in an outbuilding where the Costa family stored wood.
Bobi has never been chained up nor attached to a leash, and always enjoyed free roam of the forests and farmland surrounding the house, his owner Leonel Costa said.
“Bobi is special because looking at him is like remembering the people who were part of our family and unfortunately are no longer with us, like my father, my brother, or my grandparents who have already left this world. Bobi represents those generations”, he added.