The longevity of Bobi, who died in Portugal in October and was crowned the oldest dog ever in 2023, raises doubts, so much so that the Guinness Book of Records has decided to suspend that title pending an investigation, we learned on Tuesday .
• Also read: Bobi, who was crowned the world's oldest dog, died at the age of 31
• Also read: [EN IMAGES] 30-year-old Bobi has been named the oldest dog in the world
During our investigation, “we have decided to temporarily suspend the record titles for oldest living dog and oldest dog ever,” a spokesman for Guinness, which lists records at that level, told AFP. World and stated that it was an “interim decision”.
Bobi died last October at the age of 31 years and 165 days, according to a press release published on the Guinness World Records website, which recognized him in February 2023 after confirming his exceptional longevity.
AFP
All these “suspicions are unfounded,” said Leonel Costa, the owner of Bobi, in a press release sent to AFP, recalling that the approval process “lasted almost a year” and that he respected all the requirements required by Guinness.
He blames “a certain elite in the veterinary world” for being at the origin of these suspicions because they have difficulty accepting that Bobi was always fed “natural nutrition” rather than dog food, he explains.
This Rafeiro, a breed of dog that typically has an average life expectancy of between 12 and 14 years, lived surrounded by cats in a house in Conqueiros, a small village in central Portugal.
This brown-haired pet had escaped the fate of the other puppies in the litter, who had been buried at birth. He was hidden by the family's children, which saved his life.
Nowadays, his age raises questions, particularly due to the differences in the color of the legs seen in photos of Bobi Young and in more recent photos, according to a magazine investigation.
AFP
According to photos of this dog published in the media, “he does not appear to show the signs of a very old dog,” with “mobility issues” or even in terms of “muscle mass,” Miguel said. Figueiredo, a veterinarian at a clinic in Lisbon, interviewed by AFP a year ago.