Guinness World Records has stopped recognizing the Portuguese dog, Bobi, as the “Oldest Dog Ever” after professionals raised doubts about the legitimacy of his age.
Amid an ongoing investigation, Bobi, who held the title of ‘World’s Oldest Living Dog,’ was stripped of both that and the title of the ‘World’s Oldest Dog Ever.’
“While our review is ongoing we have decided to temporarily pause both the record titles for the oldest dog living ever just until all of our findings are in place,” Guinness World Records stated.
The organization made an announcement when they passed the title of the World’s Oldest Living Dog to Bobi that he was born on his family’s farm in Coqueiros, Portugal on May 11, 1992. It was said that the date was confirmed based on the verifications from the Portuguese government’s pet database and the Veterinary Medical Service of the Municipality of Leiria.
However, in the investigation made by Wired last December 2023, Bobi’s registration in the database only occurred in 2022. Although his owner claimed he was born in 1992, the authorities had “no registration or data that can confirm or deny this statement.” The database also said that they were not contacted by Guinness World Records regarding the verification of information.
According to the Associated Press, some veterinarians and canine professionals have also given their criticism towards Bobi’s real age in response to the Guinness World Records.
Veterinarian and council member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, Danny Chambers said to The Guardian that “not a single one” of her coworkers “believe Bobi was actually 31 years old” — which is equivalent to about 200 human years. This is also a huge leap for Bobi’s dog breed, Rafeiro do Alentejo which usually has a lifespan of 10 to 14 years.
Guinness World Records told CNN about their next steps saying that they will make a review that will analyze the evidence and consult with experts and those who were linked to the original petition for Bobi to receive this title.
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