Following investigations, Bobi, a Portuguese Mastiff dog previously deemed the world’s oldest dog by Guinness World Records, has officially lost that title. The dog was recorded to be 31 years and 165 days of age when it was named as the world’s oldest dog, but now has lost that title.
Bobi would have been the equivalent age of 200 human years after passing away in October 2023. However, Guinness World Records would later begin an investigation into the true age of Bobi when many veterinarians began to question a photo of Bobi which showed him with white paws, when the dogs were brown in following years.
Just last month, a representative of the Portuguese government database that was used to monitor pet information, known as SIAC, was not able to confirm what age Bobi truly was. Before 2020, SIAC did not need pet owners to register their dogs, with the condition the dogs were born prior to 2008. But even in that case, it was not required for owners to give proof of the age of their pets. Leonel Costa, Bobi’s owner, registered Bobi with SIAC, maintaining the dog was born in 1992, while the average age of Bobi’s breed is 12-14.
“We take tremendous pride in ensuring as best we can the accuracy and integrity of all our record titles. Following concerns raised by vets and other experts, both privately and 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,” Mark Mckinley, director of Guinness World Records would explain.
While Bobbi was indeed registered and microchipped in 2022, there was no sufficient evidence to prove his age, leading the Guinness World Records to conclude they were simply “left with no conclusive evidence which can definitively prove Bobi’s date of birth.”
Now that Bobi’s record has been suspended, it is possible the record for oldest dog may be assumed by Bluey, an Australian cattle dog with a record of 29 years and 5 months.
Written by Kevin Han
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