The world’s oldest dog ever has passed away. Bobi, a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo (a Portuguese mastiff), was 31 years and 165 days old when he passed away on Saturday.
Bobi became the Guinness World Record holder in February 2023. He passed away at his home in Portugal on the weekend.
“Last night this sweet boy earned his wings. Despite outliving every dog in history, his 11,478 days on earth would never be enough, for those who loved him,” wrote Dr Karen Becker, who shared the news on Monday.
Bobi suffered very little in the way of illnesses, but in the last months of his life, Bobi had trouble walking and his eyesight worsened.
Bobi’s age was validated by the Portuguese government’s pet database. He lived his entire life with the Costa family and was born on the family’s farm with three siblings. But Bobi almost didn’t survive.
Leonel Costa was only 8 years old at the time of Bobi’s birth and said that his parents had too many animals and put Bobi’s siblings down. But Bobi escaped and Leonel and his brothers hid Bobi from their parents until he was eventually discovered.
“My father was a hunter, and we always had many dogs,” Leonel told the Guinness Book of World Records. “Unfortunately, at that time it was considered normal by older people who could not have more animals at home […] to bury the animals in a hole so that they would not survive.”
The day after the puppies were born, Leonel’s parents snuck into the wood shed where the puppies were born and quickly took them away when the puppies’ mother, Gira, wasn’t there. But they didn’t realize they left Bobi behind (Bobi was behind some firewood).
Leonel recalled that he and his brothers were very sad but they noticed Gira as still visiting the wood shed and went to look. They found Bobi and hid him away until his eyes opened.
“We knew that when the dog opened its eyes, my parents would no longer bury it,” Leonel explained. “It was popular knowledge that this act could not or should be done.”
There were consequences, of course. Leonel said, “I confess that when they found out that we already knew, they screamed a lot and punished us, but it was worth it and for a good reason!”
Bobi became part of the family and ate human food and was well looked after. He was free to roam around the farm and befriended many of their other animals. The family had a number of long-lived dogs. Bobi outlived his mother, Gira, (who lived to 18) and another family dog who reached 22 years old.
Leonel thinks Bobi’s longevity came from the “calm, peaceful environment” he lived in. The family is planning a celebration of life for Bobi in May.
Rest in Peace, Bobi.
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