Guinness World Records has suspended Bobi's title as it posthumously investigates claims.
ADVERTISEMENTWhen Bobi - ‘the world’s oldest dog’ - celebrated his 31st birthday last year, the world celebrated with him. And when he passed away in October, the world mourned.
But now his record-breaking title is in question.
After vets and other experts raised suspicion about Bobi’s age following his death, Guinness World Records has launched an investigation.
While the review is ongoing, it has suspended Bobi’s title and temporarily paused applications for the title of the world’s oldest living dog and oldest dog ever.
“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 news agency the Associated Press by email on Tuesday.
Why is the age of the world’s oldest dog in question?
Bobi was a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, a Portuguese breed of livestock guardian dog that usually lives 12 to 14 years - those carrying extra weight like Bobi often don’t make it to this age.
Guinness World Records said it had received correspondence from some vets questioning the dog's age and took note of public commentary from vets and other professionals.
Naysayers said the claim of Bobi’s age rested on the owner’s word, and eagle-eyed detectives pointed out that online images of the dog from the ‘90s showed him with different coloured paws, according to UK newspaper The Guardian. His exact age could not be verified by genetic testing.
Tech and culture magazine Wired launched an investigation in December that found the Portuguese government database for registering pets had never been contacted to confirm Bobi’s age.
The previous record was held by Bluey, an Australian cattle dog who died in 1939 at the age of 29 years and five months.
Bobi’s owner says the accusations are false
Bobi lived his entire life with the Costa family in the rural village of Conqueiros in Leiria, western Portugal.
He narrowly escaped death after he was born in an outhouse where they stored wood in 1992.
His owner Leonel Costa claims that vets are trying to smear Bobi’s legacy because eating human food was cited as one of his secrets to old age - something that is often not recommended by pet experts - news agency Reuters reports.
Bobi’s title is currently on pause while Guinness World Records conducts its review, which it said should last no longer than three months.
