Controversy Surrounds Guinness World Records’ Suspension of Oldest Dog Title

A Rafeiro do Alentejo dog named Bobi has been posthumously recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest dog in the world. Bobi passed away in October 2023 at the remarkable age of 31 years and 165 days. The previous record holder was Bluey, an Australian hound who lived to be 29 years old in 1939.

However, there are now doubts regarding Bobi’s age. Danny Chambers, a veterinarian and council member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, expressed skepticism about Bobi’s claimed age, stating that none of his veterinary colleagues believed it. An investigation by Wired magazine revealed that Bobi was only registered in the Portuguese government’s pet database in July 2022, with no concrete evidence to support the 1992 birthdate claimed by the owner, Leonel Costa. Portuguese law did not require dogs born before 2008 to be registered until October 2020, raising further doubts.

Moreover, veterinarians who examined pictures of Bobi noticed that the dog appeared to be overweight, making it even more unlikely for him to have lived that long. Enikő Kubinyi, a dog longevity expert at Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary, pointed out that even among humans, it is rare for individuals with excess weight to reach such an advanced age.

In light of these concerns, the Guinness Book of World Records has decided to investigate the matter and has temporarily suspended the oldest dog title. They stated that the review is ongoing and that they will wait until all the findings are in place before making a final determination.

Leonel Costa, Bobi’s owner, defended his dog’s title and accused the veterinary world of conspiring against him because he fed his pet human food instead of dog food. Costa claimed that an elite group within the veterinary community tried to discredit Bobi’s life story. He also emphasized that he did not profit from the title and that Guinness World Records had spent a year verifying Bobi’s age.

For now, the world awaits the outcome of the investigation to determine whether Bobi truly deserves the title of the world’s oldest dog or if the record will be reassigned.