Guinness World Records revokes world's oldest dog title from Bobi
Bobi, a Rafeiro do Alentejo dog from Portugal, had comfortably clinched the title of the oldest dog ever by the time he died last October at the apparent age of 31. However, Guinness World Records (GWR) states that the organization found no solid evidence to back up claims that Bobi was 31 years and five months old when he passed away in 2023. GWR is now searching for a new record holder.
Doubts raised over Bobi's age by veterinary experts
Doubts about Bobi's age surfaced after he received the title, with veterinary experts questioning the claim. Danny Chambers, a vet and council member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, said that none of his 18,000 colleagues in the Veterinary Voices group believed Bobi was 31. He added that extraordinary claims needed extraordinary evidence, which was lacking in this case.
Investigation into Bobi's age reveals insufficient evidence
A microchip from the Portuguese government database, the SIAC was the key component in Bobi's case. GWR investigated the evidence supporting Bobi's age last month and found the microchip used to prove his age was insufficient. It turns out that when chipped in 2022, it didn;t require confirmation of age for dogs born before 2008. Bobi's owner, Leonel Costa, has not commented on the record removal but previously dismissed doubts about his dog's age as "unfounded."
Bluey, an Australian cattle dog, was the previous record holder
Before Bobi, the oldest dog on record was Bluey, an Australian cattle dog who died in 1939 at 29 years and five months old. Stating that Bobi had been stripped of the records, GWR's Mark McKinley, who reviewed Bobi's entry, stressed the organization's dedication to accuracy and integrity in all its records and the importance of addressing concerns raised by experts and media outlets.
GWR is in search of the new record holder
Speaking about who the new record holder might be, McKinley stated that it will "take a long time for microchip uptake around the world to catch up with pet ownership, especially of older pets." Until then, GWR requires documentary evidence for all years of a pet's life, from vets and witness statements as well as microchip data. Per McKinley, GWR hopes that the publicity around the record title will encourage pet owners from around the world to get in touch.
