The world’s oldest dog in recorded history, Bobi, passed away at the remarkable age of 31 years and 165 days. Bobi, the renowned Guinness World Record holder and a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, peacefully left this world at his residence in Portugal last Saturday. The sad news of his passing was shared on social media by a veterinarian who had the privilege of meeting Bobi on multiple occasions.
Dr. Karen Becker, the veterinarian, expressed, “Despite outliving every dog in history, his 11,478 days on Earth would never be enough for those who loved him.” Bobi’s longevity surpassed the previous record holder, Australia’s Bluey, who lived to the age of 29 years and five months before passing away in 1939.
Bobi’s extraordinary age was officially recognized by the Portuguese government’s pet database, overseen by the National Union of Veterinarians. As of now, the identity of Bobi’s successor as the world’s oldest living dog remains undisclosed.
Bobi spent his entire life with the Costa family in the village of Conqueiros, near Portugal’s west coast. He was born in an outbuilding, one of three siblings, and nearly faced an unfortunate fate when the family had to consider putting the puppies down due to an abundance of animals.
However, Bobi managed to escape this fate, and young Leonel Costa, who was eight at the time, along with his brothers, kept Bobi’s existence a secret from their parents until he was eventually discovered. Bobi then became an integral part of the Costa family, sharing their meals and love.
Apart from a health scare in 2018 when he was hospitalized due to sudden breathing difficulties, Bobi enjoyed a relatively trouble-free life according to Mr. Costa. The secret to his longevity, as suggested by Mr. Costa, was the “calm, peaceful environment” in which Bobi lived.
Nonetheless, in the final years of his life, Bobi experienced difficulty walking and worsening eyesight. Remarkably, the Costa family had a history of long-lived dogs, with Bobi’s mother living to the age of 18, and another family dog reaching the age of 22 before they, too, crossed the rainbow bridge.
