Bobi, a purebred Portuguese Rafeiro do Alentejo dog, poses for a photo with his Guinness World Records certificates for oldest dog at his home in Conqueiros, central Portugal, on May 20.
Jorge Jeronimo/AP
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Jorge Jeronimo/AP
Bobi, a purebred Portuguese Rafeiro do Alentejo dog, poses for a photo with his Guinness World Records certificates for oldest dog at his home in Conqueiros, central Portugal, on May 20.
Jorge Jeronimo/AP
The world says goodbye to a very good boy.
Bobi, the 31-year-old Portuguese pooch believed to be the world’s oldest dog, died on Friday.
Guinness World Records, which announced Bobi’s death on its website, said it was “sad” to learn of his death.
Bobi, a purebred livestock guardian dog from Rafeiro do Alentejo with a life expectancy of 12 to 14 years, was named earlier this year not only as the oldest living dog, but also as the oldest hunting dog in history.
He lived to a record-breaking 31 years and 165 days.
But Bobi’s long life as a puppy almost came to an end.
According to his owner Leonel Costa, Bobi was one of a litter of four puppies born in 1992 that Costa’s parents didn’t want to keep because the family already had enough animals.
“Unfortunately, it was seen as normal by older people back then.” […] “burying the animals in a hole so they don’t survive,” he told Guinness.
When Costa’s parents picked up the puppies, they accidentally neglected to pick up the brown and white Bobi, who was hidden in a pile of wood. Costa and his brothers kept Bobi a secret from their parents until the dog was too old to be euthanized.
Bobi’s longevity is due to several factors, Costa said, including the “quiet, peaceful” environment of her home in central Portugal Conqueiros, where Bobi was able to move freely in the surrounding countryside and spend time with his “cat friends” in the backyard.
Bobi also ate only human food that had been soaked in water to wash off any spices.
In February, Guinness announced that Bobi was actually the oldest living dog, just two weeks after bestowing the honor on Spike, a 23-year-old Chihuahua mix from Ohio.
NPR asked Guinness who was the oldest living dog after Bobi’s death, but did not immediately receive an answer.
Bobi’s advanced age also meant he became the oldest dog in history, succeeding the previous record holder Bluey, an Australian cattle dog who died in 1939 after living 29 years and five months.
Source : www.npr.org