30-year-old Bobi crowned world’s oldest dog ever by Guinness World Records
By Multimedia Producer Lottie Kilraine
Guinness World Records has announced that the record for the world’s oldest dog has officially been broken just weeks after another pooch was crowned.
Bobi the dog was born in the village of Conqueiros in Portugal on May 11, 1992 and is aged 30 years and 268 days-old as of Friday.
He has been crowned the world's oldest dog just two weeks after a 23-year-old chihuahua called Spike, from Ohio in the US, was awarded the title.
But Bobi is not just the oldest living dog - he's also officially the oldest dog on the planet ever.
This new title means Bobi has beaten the record of an Australian cattle dog called Bluey - who had lived 29 years and five months before his death in 1939.
Bobi is a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, which is a breed of livestock guardian dog with an average life expectancy of around 12 to 14 years.
The elderly pooch has been described as a calm and sociable pet who enjoys relaxing by the fireplace on particularly cold days.
Bobi's owner Leonel Costa, 38, said: “Bobi has been a warrior for all these years, only he knows how he’s been holding on – it must not be easy because the average dog’s life span is not that high.
“If he spoke only he could explain this success.”
Mr Costa said some of the biggest contributing factors for Bobi's longevity is the "calm, peaceful environment" he lives in, "far from the cities".
He added that the family pet has a diet that involves always eating "what we ate," and Bobi has never been chained up or put on a leash.
He also is said to drink lots of water, and is known to consume up to one litre a day.
Bobi's birth date was confirmed by the Portuguese government's pet database and by the National Union of Veterinarians, Guinness World Records said.
Mr Costa added that Bobi’s new title is “an immense joy”.
However, it has not always been plain sailing for the record-breaking pooch.
In 1992, Bobi was born with three siblings in an outbuilding where the Costa family stored wood.
But as they already had a lot of animals, they had to put the litter of puppies down.
Fortunately, Bobi managed to escape after Mr Costa hid him and he has lived with the family in the rural Portuguese village ever since.
"From being condemned at birth to now being the oldest verified dog ever, Bobi's story is a miraculous one," said Guinness World Records.
Mr Costa said the “one of a kind” dog suffered a health scare in 2018 but - despite some eyesight and old-age-related issues - he now lives a normal life.
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