On October 21, 2023, the Guinness World Records proclaimed Bobi the “Oldest Ever Dog”. Sadly, he died at the age of 31 and 165 days, according to CNN.com.  Following his death, speculation began to rise and the Guinness organization started an investigation that Bobi was not really 31 years of age. According to CNN.com, “The previous record holder for oldest living dog and the oldest dog ever was held by an Australian Cattle-dog Bluey, who was born in 1910 and lived to be 29 years and five months old.”  

Bobi lived his entire life in a Portuguese Village called Congueiros.  Bobi, a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo with a usual life expectancy of 12-14 years, was reportedly fed human food soaked in water to remove the seasonings.  According to a CNN interview with Bobi’s owner, Leonel Costa, “Bobi always roamed freely, without a leash or chain, lived in a “calm, peaceful” environment…”  Bobi’s age was originally confirmed to be true by Serviço Médico-Veterinario do Município de Leiria (Veterinary Medical Service of the Municipality of Leiria).  He was registered in 1992, when his owner Leonel Costa was only 8 years old.

The normal life expectancy for dogs in general is 10-13 years old.  This translates in humans to be around 60-74 in human years old.  If you calculate Bobi’s dog age of 31, and multiply by 7, that would equate his age in human years to 217 years old. Bobi has now gone from worlds “Oldest Living Dog”, to the “Oldest Ever Dog.”