The Guinness Book of Records deprived the Portuguese dog Bobby of the status of the oldest in the world – News

Bobby the dog

Photo: Le Terrier Studio

In Portugal, Bobi the mastiff has been stripped of its status as the world’s oldest dog because the Guinness Book of Records lacks proof of the animal’s age.

According to The Guardian, Bobby was recognized as the oldest dog in history in February 2023. In October, when he was 31 years and 5 months old, he died.

A few days after his death, veterinarian Danny Chambers of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons suggested that the dog could not have lived for three decades.

According to him and the testimony of other veterinarians, photos of Bobi taken in 1999 indicated that his paws were a different color than those of the dog that died in Portugal last year.

The testimony of the owner of the animal became the basis for giving Boba the world record. A genetic test performed on the dog determined that Bobby was old, but did not give an exact age.

“This is equivalent to if a person lived to be 200 years old, which, despite modern medicine, is absolutely impossible.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and no concrete evidence to support his age has been provided“, Chambers said.

It will be recalled that by becoming the oldest dog in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records, Bobby broke an almost century-old record, and also became the oldest known dog in history.

The previous record holder was the Australian dog Bluey, who died in 1939 at the age of 29 years and five months.

The dog Bobi from Portugal was a purebred representative of the Portuguese guard dogs of Rafeiro do Alentejo, whose average lifespan is 12-14 years.

His owner, Leonel Costa, claimed that the dog was born on May 11, 1992, when he himself was only 8 years old.

In May 2023, Bobby’s family threw a party for his 31st birthday.

Earlier we reported that the Guinness Book of Records has determined the oldest living cat in the world – the record holder was 26-year-old Flossy from Orpington, in the south-east of London.