Earlier this month, the Guinness World Records shared news about an impressive new record being set by a dog from Portugal named Bobi. At the age of 30 years and 266 days, Bobi has been officially recognized as the oldest dog ever. He broke the record, which stood almost a century, that was previously held Australian cattle dog named Bluey, who lived to be 29 years and five months old.
Just a few weeks ago, Guinness presented Chihuahua named Spike with a record for being the oldest dog alive at the age of 23 years and seven days old. But shortly after that, the news came that there is a much older dog out there that is deserving of the record.
The reason why Bobi was only discovered recently is that he lived in anonymity on his owners’ farm located in the rural village of Conqueiros. He was born on the farm in 1992 and registered with the Veterinary Medical Service of the Municipality of Leiria in the same year. This allowed Guinness officials to confirm his date of birth with certainty.
The impressive thing about the record is that Bobi belongs to Rafeiro do Alentejo breed, which has a life expectancy of around 12 years. No one knows the secret of Bobi’s longevity, although his owner Leonel Costa believes it has to do something with the peaceful life and freedom he enjoyed on the farm.
According to Costa, Bobi remains in good shape despite his age but remains to preserve his energy these days. He mostly spends his time resting, eating, and hanging out with his family’s other animals.
“Bobi is special because looking at him is like remembering the people who were part of our family and unfortunately are no longer here, like my father, my brother, or my grandparents who have already left this world. Bobi represents those generations,” concluded his owner.