
Guinness World Records (GWR) announced on Monday that Bobi, the all-time oldest dog in the world, has passed away at the nearly unfathomable age of 31 years and 165 days.
Veterinarian Dr. Karen Becker made the initial announcement of his passing at an animal hospital on Friday.
“Despite outliving every dog in history,” she said on Facebook, “his 11,478 days on earth were never enough, for those who loved him.”
Leonel Costa, Bobi’s owner, revealed to GWR in February that there were numerous explanations for Bobi’s unusual longevity. He never had a leash or chain around him, always walked free, lived in a “calm, peaceful” setting, and consumed human food that had been soaked in water to remove flavors, according to Costa.
He lived in Conqueiros, a tiny Portuguese village located around 150 km (93 miles) north of the country’s capital Lisbon, for his entire life, frequently roaming the streets with cats.
The owner of Bobi claimed that he was a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, a kind of livestock guardian dog. According to the American Kennel Club, the lifespan of a Rafeiro do Alentejo is between 12 and 14 years.
However, Bobi outlived that life expectancy by more than two decades, shattering a record that had stood for almost a century. Bluey, an Australian cattle dog that was born in 1910 & lived to be 29 years & five months old, had previously held the record for the oldest dog ever and the oldest dog surviving.
But Bobi’s tale almost had a different conclusion.
Costa’s father believed they already had a lot of animals at home when he & his three siblings were born in the family’s woodshed.
Costa and his siblings believed their parents had taken away and destroyed all of the puppies. But a few heartbreaking days later, they discovered Bobi still alive and secure in a stack of logs.
The kids kept the dog a secret from their parents, and by the time Bobi’s existence was discovered, he had already lived a record-breaking lifespan and was too old to be put down.
GWR reported that a performing dance group and more than 100 guests attended his 31st birthday party in May.
As Bobi aged, his eyesight deteriorated & walking got more difficult, but he continued to spend time in the backyard with the cats, take more breaks, and take naps by the fire.
According to Costa, who passed away in May, “Bobi is special because observing him is like remembering the people that were part of our family and are sadly no longer here, including my father, my brother, or my grandparents that have already passed away.” Bobi is a symbol of the bygone eras.