The world's oldest dog has died at the age of 31 years and 165 days. Born on May 11, 1992, Bobi was recognised by the Guinness World Record (GWR) as the oldest dog ever in February. The purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo died on Saturday at his home in Portugal where he lived his entire life with the Costa family. Dr Karen Becker, a veterinarian who met Bobi several times, confirmed the dog's demise on Facebook, saying: "Last night, this sweet boy earned his wings".
"Despite outliving every dog in history, his 11,478 days on earth would never be enough, for those who loved him," wrote Dr Karen Becker, adding, "Godspeed, Bobi ... you've taught the world all you were meant to teach."
In February, Bobi became both the world's oldest living dog and the oldest dog ever. He broke a record held by Australian cattle dog Bluey, who died at 29 years and five months in 1939. According to the BBC, Bobi's grand old age was validated by the Portuguese government's pet database, which is managed by the National Union of Veterinarians.
As per GWR, Bobi lived his entire life with Leonel Costa and his family in the rural village of Conqueiros in Portugal. He was born in an outhouse with three siblings, but Mr Costa said the puppies had to be put down as his family had too many animals. But somehow Bobi managed to escape and continued to live at the rural home.
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Mr Costa, who was just eight when the dog was born, credited Bobi's long life to the "calm, peaceful environment" he lived in "far from the cities". He said that the dog always ate "what we ate" and was never chained up or put on a leash.
Apart from a scare in 2018 when he was hospitalised after suddenly collapsing due to breathing difficulty, Mr Costa said that Bobi had enjoyed a relatively trouble-free life. But as he advanced in age, he became less mobile. He had even experienced trouble walking and worsening eyesight prior to his death, as per Mr Costa.
Bobi turned 31 in May, despite his breed having a typical life expectancy of between 12 and 14 years. "Bobi had many fans around the globe - as evidenced by the 100+ people who showed up to his 31st birthday party - and he will be sorely missed," the GWR wrote in its blog.
