Guinness World Records has doubts about age of Bobi, ‘world’s oldest dog’ that lived to be 31 in Portugal

Bobi, a Rafeiro do Alentejo in Portugal, was bestowed the accolade at the staggering age of, according to his owner, 30.

Bobi then died in October, making him 31 years old at the time. But the Guinness World Records is now putting his title on hold amid a wave of questions over the legitimacy of his claim.

World’s oldest dog dies in Portugal at 31

“While our review is ongoing, we have decided to temporarily pause applications on both the record titles for oldest dog living and ever until all of our findings are in place and have been communicated,” a spokesperson told the Associated Press in a Tuesday report.

Indeed, living to 31 would have made Bobi the dog equivalent of around 170 years old, per the American Veterinary Medical Association’s calculating methods.

Dogs of his breed have a life expectancy of 12 to 14 years.

Bobi’s owner, Leonal Costa, told the Guinness World Records he credited Bobi’s longevity to a diet of human food and never being chained up or leashed.

However, observers say there are discrepancies in photos of Bobi from 1999 – when he would have been 7 – and 2022, noting that his paws are differently coloured in the old and new images.

Bobi’s purported age was also challenged by Danny Chambers, a council member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, who told The Guardian that “not a single one of my veterinary colleagues believe Bobi was actually 31 years old”.

Chambers’ organisation is a regulatory body in the UK that oversees thousands of veterinary practices.

Bobi’s age is registered in Portugal’s government database, which Guinness World Records said it checked before giving out the award.

However, an investigation by WIRED reported that an official said the database entry was based on information provided by Costa, the dog’s owner. The outlet wrote multiple times that Costa did not respond to its questions.

Bobi’s record came just after Spike, a 23-year-old Chihuahua, was named the oldest living dog by the Guinness World Records. Two weeks after Spike’s record was announced, Bobi dethroned the Chihuahua.

Per the AP, Guinness World Records’s spokesperson said the organisation was aware of the public scepticism toward Bobi’s record and that it received notes from veterinary surgeons concerned about the validity of his claim.

Dog Bobi, who only eats human food, celebrates record-breaking 31st birthday

They told The Guardian that Bobi’s title was suspended, not taken away from him, as “no action has been taken about any record holders yet”.

The Guinness World Records’ press team did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours.