Guinness World Records Suspends Portuguese Canine’s 'Oldest Dog Ever' Title During Ongoing Review

Kimberlee Speakman
·4 min read
21

"... We have decided to temporarily pause both the record titles for oldest dog living and ever just until all of our findings are in place,” Guinness World Records said

PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty A picture taken on Feb. 12, 2023 shows Bobi, a 30 year-old Portuguese dog that has been declared the world
PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty A picture taken on Feb. 12, 2023 shows Bobi, a 30 year-old Portuguese dog that has been declared the world's oldest dog by Guinness World Records, at his home in the village of Conqueiros near Leiria.

•Guinness World Records suspended the Oldest Dog Ever title of a Portuguese canine named Bobi
•Bobi obtained the title of World's Oldest Living Dog in February 2023 before he died in October at the age of 31
•A investigation is being conducted after veterinarians and professionals questioned the legitimacy of Bobi's age

Guinness World Records has suspended a Portuguese dog’s titles related to being the "oldest dog" on record after veterinarians and professionals questioned the legitimacy of his age.

Bobi, who obtained the title of World's Oldest Living Dog last February before he died in October at the age of 31, was stripped of the title, along with the title for the World's Oldest Dog Ever pending an investigation, Guinness World Records shared in a statement to the Associated Press, CNN and The Guardian.

“While our review is ongoing we have decided to temporarily pause both the record titles for oldest dog living and ever just until all of our findings are in place,” Guinness World Records told the news outlets.

Guinness World Records did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

<p>PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty </p> eonel Costa, 38 years old, owner of Bobi, a 30 years old Portuguese dog that has been declared the world's oldest dog by Guinness World Records, caresses his pet at their home in the village of Conqueiros near Leiria.

PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty

eonel Costa, 38 years old, owner of Bobi, a 30 years old Portuguese dog that has been declared the world's oldest dog by Guinness World Records, caresses his pet at their home in the village of Conqueiros near Leiria.

Related: 30-Year-Old Pup from Portugal Named World's Oldest Dog Days After Last Canine Took the Title

The organization announced when it passed on the title of World’s Oldest Living Dog to Bobi that he was was born on his family's farm in Conqueiros, Portugal, on May 11, 1992. It said off the record that it confirmed this date based on verifications from the Portuguese government’s pet database and the Veterinary Medical Service of the Municipality of Leiria, according to CNN.

However, a December 2023 investigation by Wired debunked this in a report that claimed Bobi had “no registration or data that can confirm or deny this statement” in the Portuguese government’s pet database. The database also told Wired they weren’t contacted by Guinness World Records to verify the information, according to The Guardian.

Several other veterinarians and canine professionals have also scrutinized Bobi’s true age in correspondence to the Guinness World Records, according to the AP.

<p>PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty</p> A picture taken on February 12, 2023 shows Bobi, a 30 year-old Portuguese dog that had been declared the world's oldest dog by Guinness World Records, sitting between the two Guinness certificates at his home in the village of Conqueiros in Leiria.

PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty

A picture taken on February 12, 2023 shows Bobi, a 30 year-old Portuguese dog that had been declared the world's oldest dog by Guinness World Records, sitting between the two Guinness certificates at his home in the village of Conqueiros in Leiria.

Related: Meet the World's Oldest Dog! Spike Is a 23-Year-Old Chihuahua Who Loves Baths and Doritos

Danny Chambers, a veterinarian and council member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, told The Guardian that “not a single one” of her colleagues “believe Bobi was actually 31 years old” — which equates to about 200 human years. This is also a staggering leap for a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo — Bobi’s dog breed — which normally lives between 10 to 14 years, per AP.

Some people have also noted, per The Guardian, that Bobi appeared to have different colored paws in photos of the pup in 1999 compared to more recent photos.

As for what comes next, Guinness World Records told CNN that a formal review will be launched, which will analyze existing evidence and reach out to experts and others who were linked to the original petition for Bobi to get the title.

PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty A picture taken on February 12, 2023 shows Bobi, a 30 year-old Portuguese dog that had been declared the world's oldest dog by Guinness World Records, sitting at his home in the village of Conqueiros in Leiria.
PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty A picture taken on February 12, 2023 shows Bobi, a 30 year-old Portuguese dog that had been declared the world's oldest dog by Guinness World Records, sitting at his home in the village of Conqueiros in Leiria.

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Prior to Bobi, Spike, a 23-year-old Chihuahua with a love for baths and Doritos, earned the Guinness World Records title of World's Oldest Living Dog on Jan. 19. Spike took over the spot from Gino, a 22-year-old mixed breed pup from Los Angeles who received the title in 2022.

Bluey, an Australian cattle dog who died at 29 years and 5 months of age in November 1939, also held the world record for the World's Oldest Dog Ever before Bobi.

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