UPDATE [24/10/2023]: It’s a sad day, folks. And half mast will certainly be too damn high.
Bobi, the senior canine who earned the Guinness World Record for oldest living dog just months ago, has passed away peacefully at his home in Portugal.
Born on May 11th of 1992, this purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo managed to reach 31 years and 165 days. A full and ostensibly happy life before crossing the rainbow bridge.
“Despite outliving every dog in history, his 11,478 days on earth would never be enough, for those who loved him,” announced Dr Karen Becker, a veterinarian who’d met Bobi on several occasions.
A successor for the new world’s oldest dog has yet to be named.
Read more about Bobi’s story in the original article below.
Original Article — Bobi The Portuguese Pup Breaks Guinness Record For World’s Oldest Dog
Weeks after a chihuahua mix rescue from the US named Spike was declared the world’s oldest dog, a rival senior canine from Portugal known as Bobi has officially snaked the Guinness record.
Born on May 11th of 1992, this purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo — a breed of livestock guardian dog native to Southern Portugal — is 30 years and 272 days old at the time of this article’s publishing.
Not only does this shatter the century-old record of Bluey (1910-1939) — an Australian cattle dog who lived to be 29 years and five months old — but also greatly exceeds the average life expectancy of Rafeiro do Alentejos: 12 to 14 years.
What’s even more miraculous about this entire story is how Bobi narrowly escaped the depressing fate of his littermates shortly after being birthed in an outbuilding where his owners, the Costa family, stored wood.
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“I was eight years old. My father was a hunter, and we always had many dogs,” said Leonel Costa, now aged 38.
Due to the number of animals they already owned, however, Leonel’s father decided the puppies had to go. And in quite a callous fashion.
“Unfortunately, at that time, it was considered normal by older people who could not have more animals at home… to bury the animals in a hole so that they would not survive.”
Thankfully, Leonel’s parents missed Bobi in their haste, the latter apparently disguised amongst the wood thanks to his fur colouring. Leonel and his brothers decided to keep Bobi’s existence a secret in order to help the lone newborn survive.
Lionel Costa added: “We knew that when the dog opened its eyes, my parents would no longer bury it. It was popular knowledge that this act could not or should be done.”
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“I confess that when they found out that we already knew, they screamed a lot and punished us, but it was worth it and for a good reason!”
So what’s the secret to Bobi’s longevity?
Enjoying a relatively trouble-free life — aside from those hairy first chapters and “one big scare” back in 2018, when he was hospitalised after suddenly collapsing due to breathing difficulties — Lionel chalks it up for a “calm, peaceful environment” far away from the cities. Rural life, as it were.
According to the Guinness World Records, Bobi has never been chained up nor even attached to a leash, free-roaming the forests and farmland surrounding the Costa family estate, as well as being “very sociable” amongst a whole variety of animals. These days, this simply entails hanging around his four cat friends in the backyard.
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Bobi’s diet, on the other hand, has always consisted of “human food.”
“What we ate, they ate too. Between a can of animal food or a piece of meat, Bobi doesn’t hesitate and chooses our food,” said Lionel Costa, noting Bobi lies in bed after meals these days; by the fire on colder days.
Leonel apparently takes the extra precaution of soaking Bobi’s food in water beforehand to remove most of the seasonings.
On the subject of water, hydration appears to be another key factor (“He drinks a lot of water — about one litre per day — making him urinate several times.”).
Despite this, as you can imagine, the world’s oldest dog is certainly getting on.
With trouble walking and worsening eyesight, Lionel says Bobi is the “last of a long generation of animals” in his family. But considering everything we’ve learned, it’s been a life well lived for the beloved four-legged companion.
