Bobi, an Alentejo mastiff who, according to the Guinness organization, was the oldest living dog in the world, died this weekend at his home in Portugal at 31 years and 165 days old.
Guinness confirmed this Monday the death of Bobi, born on May 11, 1992 in the Portuguese town of Conqueiros (municipality of Leiria, center of the country), in a publication on its website.
”He died on October 21 at his home in the Portuguese town of Conqueiros, where he lived his entire life with the Costa family,” wrote the record certifying entity, citing, in turn, the announcement made by American veterinarian Karen Becker, who had cared for Bobi in the past.
”This sweet boy gained his wings,” Becker wrote last night on his Facebook profile, where he assured that, “although he has surpassed all dogs in history, his 11,478 days on earth will never be enough for those who loved him . ”
Bobi and his owner Leonel Costa. (REUTERS/Catarina Demony)
Leonel Costa is one of its owners. He adopted Bobi when he was eight years old. He is now 38. Although he was not well received by his father, to prevent her from getting angry, he and his three brothers kept it a secret when he was just a puppy. Leonel, in addition to attributing his longevity to the food and care the family gave him, assures that it was also due to the quiet environment in which his pet grew up.
Bobi has never been chained or on a leash. Instead, he has been free to roam the forests and farmlands surrounding the Costa family home. Furthermore, the dog’s mother was long-lived: Gira lived to be 18 years old.
Another entity that said goodbye to Bobi was Le Terrier Studio, a Portuguese photography center for which the mastiff was a model.
“Rest in peace, friend! Thank you for having the privilege of knowing you, the oldest dog in the world. What an incredible life you had,” they wrote on Instagram.
Bobi with his recognition.
Bobi was recognized on February 2 with the Guinness record for the oldest dog in the world to date, a title that gave him worldwide fame and motivated hundreds of people to visit him in recent months.
Their breed, usually used to protect livestock from predators and known in Portugal as “rafeiro do Alentejo”, has a life expectancy of about 13 years, according to the organization.
They were able to confirm his age as he has been registered since 1992 in the veterinary service of the municipality of Leiria and in the Portuguese national control system SIAC.
Before Bobi, the record for the oldest dog alive was held by Spike, a 23-year-old Chihuahua, while the record for the oldest to date was held by Bluey (1910-1939), an Australian Shepherd who lived to be 29 years old. and 5 months.
(with information from EFE)
