Oldest Dog Ever Stripped Of Guinness Record After Review Shows 'No Conclusive Evidence' Of Age
Bobi, a Rafeiro do Alentejo dog from Portugal, is no longer the Guinness World Records' "oldest dog ever" record holder.
In February 2023, the Portuguese dog earned the title of the "oldest dog living" and the "oldest dog ever." Reportedly born on May 11, 1992, he was allegedly 30 years and 266 days old at the time.
However, when the organization looked for supporting evidence to confirm Bobi's age after his death, it ultimately decided to strip the canine of the "oldest dog ever" title, per an announcement released on Thursday.
A picture taken on February 12, 2023 shows Bobi, a 30 year-old Portuguese dog.
"We take tremendous pride in ensuring as best we can the accuracy and integrity of all our record titles," said Mark McKinley, the organization's director of records.
He continued, "Following concerns raised by vets and other experts, both privately as well as within public commentary, and the findings of investigations conducted by some media outlets, we felt it important to open a review into Bobi's record."
Through conducting a review according to GWR's review and appeals process, the team investigated Bobi's information, including the dog's microchip data, and found that Bobi's microchip did not require proof of age for dogs born before 2008.
With this, the organization "concluded that GWR no longer has the evidence it needs to support Bobi's claim as the record holder."
"Without any conclusive evidence available to us right now, we simply can't retain Bobi as the record holder and honestly claim to maintain the high standards we set ourselves," McKinley stated.
Leonel Costa, 38 years old, owner of Bobi, a 30-year-old Portuguese dog that has been declared the world's oldest dog by Guinness World Records, caresses his pet at their home in the village of Conqueiros near Leiria.
As previously mentioned, Bobi was reportedly born on May 11, 1992. The Rafeiro do Alentejo was a guard dog at a farm in Portugal, per People.
In a previous statement he made when he was previously given the Guinness title, Bobi's owner, Leonel Costa, described his pet as "very sociable" because he grew up with many other animals.
Bobi was given the freedom to roam around the forests and farmlands surrounding the Costa family's house. He was never chained up nor attached to a leash.
"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," Leonel said.
He continued, "Bobi represents those generations."
The dog lived with the Costa family in the rural village of Conqueiros until he passed away in October 2023. His reported age was 31.
Leonel has already been informed that his late pet no longer holds the "oldest dog ever" title.
