Bobi loses ‘world’s oldest dog’ title after Guinness World Records review

A new statement from Guinness World Records officials said the organization 'no longer has the evidence it needs to support Bobi’s claim as the record holder.'

Guinness World Records on Thursday shared some paw-ful news: Bobi the Portuguese mastiff has been posthumously stripped of his “world’s oldest dog” title.

The decision came after months of hounding from veterinarians and skeptics who questioned whether it was really possible for a dog to live to 31 years and five months old, as Bobi’s owner had claimed at the time of the pooch’s death in October.

For the record, that would make Bobi over 200 in “dog years.”

A new statement from Guinness World Records officials said the organization “no longer has the evidence it needs to support Bobi’s claim as the record holder.”

Bobi’s title was temporarily stripped last month after a representative from the Portuguese government database used to register and track pet information in the country, called SIAC, could not verify Bobi’s real age. Prior to 2020, SIAC did not require pet owners in the country to publicly register their dogs if they were born before 2008. Even then, it was not necessary for owners to submit proof of their pets age to the national database.

When Bobi’s owner, Leonel Costa, registered Bobi with SIAC, he said the purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo was born in 1992.

The average lifespan of a dog is 10 to 13 years. For Bobi’s breed specifically, most Rafeiro do Alentejo live to be less than half Bobi’s alleged age, with a lifespan typically between 12 and 14 years.

Costa earlier attributed Bobi’s unnatural longevity to a rural, free-range lifestyle and a healthy diet of unseasoned “human food.”