Bobi, the world’s oldest dog who has lived more than double his life expectancy at 31, still loves life as he spends his days on a farm in Portugal.
Photos of the world-famous dog have shown that he is still enjoying the sweet life with his owner, Leonal Costa, who is just seven years older than his four-legged friend.
Born on May 11, 1992, Bobi has lived all his life with the Costa family, in the rural village of Conqueiros, in Leiria, central Portugal.
He is a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, a herding dog breed with an average life expectancy of 12 to 14 years.
Mr. Costa attributes Bobi’s amazing longevity to the “calm, peaceful environment” he lives in, his diet of human food, and his freedom – with Bobi never chained or leashed.
obi has lived all his life with the Costa family, in the rural village of Conqueiros, in Leiria, central Portugal
Leonel Costa, owner, and 31-year-old dog Bobi pose this week with Guinness World Record certificates in Leiria, Portugal
Bobi is a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, a herding dog breed with an average life expectancy of 12 to 14 years.
Bobi loves to eat and usually has the same food as his owners, but they will definitely soak it in water first to remove the spices.
His good health well into old age also seems to be in the genes, as Mr. Costa said, Bobi’s mother, Gira, turned 18, and another dog, Chicote, lived to an impressive 22 years old.
As if making it to age 31 wasn’t enough, Bobi miraculously also avoided being put down as a pup.
He was born with three siblings in a family in Portugal, but they already had many animals and had to put the puppies to sleep.
Bobi escaped, Mr. Costa said, and his family detained him.
“From his conviction at birth to now that he is the oldest verified dog ever, Bobi’s story is a wondrous one,” Guinness World Records said when they named Bobi the oldest dog ever recorded in February.
The four-legged friend celebrated his birthday in May with a ‘very traditional’ Portuguese party on the family farm
Bobi was awarded a Guinness World Record title in February for being the world’s oldest dog. Pictured this week
Mr. Costa attributes Bobi’s amazing longevity to the “calm, peaceful environment” he lives in, his diet of human food and his freedom
It’s a huge joy to see Bobi’s longevity recognized by becoming a Guinness World Records title holder “an enormous joy,” said Costa.
Mr Costa describes him as ‘one of a kind’ and, unbelievably, said he still hopes Bobi will sire puppies as he is the last of a long generation of animals.
Mr Costa said: ‘Bobi has been a warrior all these years only he knows how to keep it up it must not be easy as the life span of the average dog isn’t that high and if he just spoke he would explain success.
“We are very happy and grateful for the life we can have in our daily lives after 30 years of Bobi.”
Bobi was photographed in 1999 on the family-run farm where he enjoys playing with the cats
The four-legged friend celebrated his birthday in May with a ‘very traditional’ Portuguese party at the family-run farm, which was attended by dozens of friends and fans from all over the world.
Despite its age, the calm and sociable dog is still healthy enough to play with the family’s four cats.
Bobi loves to eat and usually has the same food as his owners, but they will definitely soak it in water first to remove the spices.
Bobi had only one health scare in 2018, but got through it.
Bobi sleeps well at night and enjoys a good night’s sleep after dinner, as well as relaxing by the fireplace on particularly cold days. He also enjoys walking around the farmland and among the pine trees
Despite its age, the calm and sociable dog is still healthy enough to play with the family’s four cats
Bobi loves food and usually has the same food as his owners, but they will definitely soak it in water first to remove the spices
He also has age-related problems with vision and walking.
In 1992, Bobi was registered with the Veterinary Medical Service of the Municipality of Leiria. The organization confirmed Bobi’s date of birth.
Bobi’s age has been verified by SIAC, a pet database authorized by the Portuguese government and maintained by the National Union of Veterinarians.
The previous titleholder for oldest living dog was Spike, who held the record at 23 years and 7 days, as verified in Camden, Ohio on December 7, 2022.
The title of oldest dog ever was previously held by Bluey, an Australian Shepherd who lived to be 29 years and 5 months old before being put to sleep in November 1939.