Bobi, who was named the oldest dog of all time a year ago, lost his title due to a lack of “conclusive evidence” of his age, the Guinness Book of World Records (GWR) said on Thursday.
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After launching an investigation a month ago, Guinness concluded it “no longer had the necessary evidence” to uphold the title awarded to Bobi, the world record-keeping organization said in a news release.
Bobi, who was named the oldest living dog and the oldest dog of all time in February 2023, died last October at the age of 31 years and 165 days.
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.
However, the extraordinary longevity of this dog, which was 30 years and 266 days old when recognized by Guinness, had raised numerous questions among several veterinarians and specialists, so much so that a month ago Guinness announced the suspension of the titles of this record in order to do so prevent an investigation from being carried out.
At the time, Bobi's owner Leonel Costa considered all these suspicions to be “unfounded”.
To verify Bobi's age, Guinness specifically relied on the Companion Animal Information System (SIAC) database, “which did not require proof to justify age for animals born before 2008,” when the dog was registered in 2022, explains Mark McKinley, director of the GWR quoted in the press release.
Because age verification is particularly difficult, Guinness says it is “currently unable to confirm the new record holder.”