People who keep pet dogs are normally very attached to them and wish that they live more than their usual life span of 10-14 years. There are only a few who have a greater life span. The Guinness World Record has found a dog from Portugal that has lived much longer than its normal life term.
The record keeping company not only declared Bobi, a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, the world’s oldest dog living but also the world’s oldest dog ever. This comes two weeks after the Guinness World Record declared Ohio-based Chihuahua Spike as the "oldest dog living" in the world.
The dog Bobi, as of February 1, 2023, is 30 years 266 days old. A Rafeiro do Alentejo breed, the dog has an average life expectancy of 12 to 14 years, according to the Guinness World Records.
"Say hello to Bobi, the oldest dog ever recorded by Guinness World Records at 30 years and 266 days!," read the caption of the post shared on Twitter by GWR.
The previous record for the oldest dog ever was held by the Australian cattle-dog Bluey (1910-1939), who lived to be 29 years, 5 months old. This means that the new record holder, Bobi has broken the record almost after a century.
Bobi’s age has also been verified by SIAC, a pet database authorized by the Portuguese government and managed by the SNMV (Sindicato Nacional dos Médicos Veterinários; National Union of Veterinarians), according to the Guinness World Records’ official website.
Bobi's owner, 38-year-old Leonel Costa, was eight year old when the dog was born in the outbuilding of the Costa family in the village of Conqueiros, in Leiria, Portugal.
"I was eight years old,” said Leonel Costa, now aged 38. “My father was a hunter, and we always had many dogs," Costa was quoted as saying by the Guinness World Record.