LISBON, Portugal — A 31-year-old dog in Portugal that had been ranked as the world’s oldest dog ever has died, his owner said Monday.
The guard dog, called Bobi, died over the weekend in a veterinary hospital, Leonel Costa told The Associated Press.
Bobi lived on a farm in the village of Conqueiros in Portugal with Costa and four cats. He was born on May 11, 1992, when his owner was just 8 years old.
In an interview earlier this year, Costa said Bobi's secret to a long life was good food, fresh air and lots of love.
Bobi, a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo Portuguese dog, takes a photo May 20 with his owner Leonel Costa and his Guinness World Record certificates for the oldest dog. Costa said Monday that Bobi passed away Saturday at 31 years and 165 days old.
“Bobi eats what we eat,” said Costa. What’s more, Bobi had never been put on a leash.
“Bobi is one of a kind,” Costa said in May. “Bobi is special because looking at him is like remembering the people who were part of our family and unfortunately are no longer here, like my father, my brother, or my grandparents who have already left this world. Bobi represents those generations.”
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Bobi claimed the Guinness World Record from Bluey, an Australian cattle dog, who died in 1939 aged 29 and had held the record for almost a century.
Bobi, a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo Portuguese dog, sits with his Guinness World Record certificates for the oldest dog, on May 20 at his home in Conqueiros, central Portugal.
Officials at the Guinness World Records on Monday said they were “saddened to learn of the death of Bobi, the world’s oldest dog ever.” In a statement on their website, they said Bobi lived to be 31 years and 165 days old and died on Saturday.
Bobi was a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, a breed of Portuguese dog that has an average life expectancy of some 10 to 14 years.
