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Bobi steals the crown - 13th March 2023

Guinness World Records recently gave a 23-year-old chihuahua the record for the oldest living dog. However, within just two weeks, an even older canine took the record. It’s been confirmed that Bobi, an elderly dog from a small Portuguese village, has lived to be 30 years old and is the oldest dog in recorded history.

Bobi’s a Rafeiro do Alentejo – a breed of dog which usually lives for between 12 and 14 years. However, Bobi’s surprised vets by living nearly 20 years longer. Apart from one serious health issue in 2018, Bobi’s lived a healthy and calm life. His owner, Leonel Costa, believes that Bobi’s health and long life are a direct result of his freedom and diet. Bobi's allowed to walk the hills around their village. He’s also always fed fresh “human food”. Costa’s sure that the love he gives Bobi has also played a major part.

A Portuguese government database provided evidence of Bobi's birthday, which is 11th May, 1992. But Bobi almost lost the chance to live, as he was found in a shed as a puppy. Leonel and his brothers found Bobi but didn’t tell their father about him. They looked after the puppy in secret.

Before Bobi, the oldest dog in history was an Australian cattle dog whose name was Bluey. Bluey lived from 1910 to 1939 and had held the record for nearly 100 years. The new record holder’s still healthy and will hopefully live to see his 31st birthday and many more.