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Bobi steals the crown - 13th March 2023

Two weeks after crowning a 23 year old chihuahua as the oldest living dog, Guinness World Records received evidence of a much older dog. Bobi, an elderly canine living in the small Portuguese village of Conqueiros, was 30 years old. Besides being the oldest living dog, Bobi's also the oldest dog recorded in history.

Purebred specimens of Rafeiro do Alentejo like Bobi have an average life span of 12 to 14 years, a relatively normal life expectancy for a dog. Bobi's exceeded vets' expectations by almost 20 years. Besides a health scare in 2018, Bobi has lived a healthy and calm life.

Bobi’s owner, Leonel Costa, credits Bobi’s longevity to eating plenty of unseasoned human food and being allowed to roam the hills around their village. “Of course our love and affection throughout his life has also helped,” Leonel added.

The Portuguese government database for pet’s records, SIAC, verified Bobi’s birthday as May 11th 1992. The previous oldest dog in history was Bluey, an Australian cattle dog who lived from 1910 to 1939 and held the record for nearly a century.

Bobi has lived almost three times longer than most dogs, but the esteemed pup almost didn’t survive infancy. Costa was a child when he and his brothers found the puppy in their garden shed. They kept Bobi’s existence secret until the puppy opened his eyes, after which they knew their father would let them keep him. Fast forward 30 years and Bobi’s still healthy for his age. He goes on walks and even plays with his owner’s cats.

Who knows how long Bobi can keep going. It’s hoped that he’ll celebrate his 31st birthday in May, completely unaware of his record breaking achievements.