A few weeks after naming a dog the oldest one living, Guinness World Records has given the title of oldest dog ever to another canine.
Guinness announced Thursday that Bobi is 30 years and 266 days old as of Wednesday, noting he belongs to the Costa family of Conqueiros, in Leiria, Portugal.
As a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, Bobi’s life expectancy is 12 to 14 years, but he has continued living his best life for longer than anyone ever imagined.
The breed is described as confident, calm, and powerful by the American Kennel Club (AKC).
“The Rafeiro do Alentejo is an excellent farm and estate watch dog,” the club said.
Video footage shows a gathering of Rafeiro do Alentejo breeders with their dogs:
Meanwhile, a veterinary office in Leiria confirmed Bobi’s birthday, and his age was also verified by a pet database connected to the government.
He was born alongside four other puppies in a woodshed on the family’s property when now 38-year-old Leonel Costa was a child.
Sadly, his father told them they could not keep the puppies because they already had too many animals to care for.
“Unfortunately, at that time it was considered normal by older people who could not have more animals at home […] to bury the animals in a hole so that they would not survive,” Leonel told Guinness.
The next day, his parents took the puppies while their mother was out of sight, but accidentally left one behind.
When Leonel and his brothers later found Bobi hiding amongst the wood, they kept him a secret, knowing that “when the dog opened its eyes, my parents would no longer bury it,” he explained.
His parents eventually learned about Bobi, but he had already made himself at home.
Now, Leonel believes one of the reasons behind the dog’s longevity is the fact he lives in a calm environment thanks to the surrounding farmlands where he loves to roam.
His owner said the dog’s mother lived to be 18 and another dog they owned lived to be 22 years old.
“We see situations like this as a normal result of the life that they have, but Bobi is one of a kind,” he said.
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