October 24, 2023, 8:55 am | Read time: 5 minutes
Dog Bobi from Portugal broke two world records: He was both the oldest living dog and the oldest dog of all time. He has now passed away. However, his long, fulfilling life almost didn’t happen, as he was doomed to die as a puppy. Leonel Costa raised Bobi and has his own explanation for why he lived so long.
Dog Bobi from Portugal was the Guinness World Records holder as the oldest living dog and the oldest dog of all time. He has unfortunately passed away. His owner told the news agency “Associated Press” that Bobi died in mid-October at an animal clinic.
How the livestock guardian dog reached such an old age is not clearly proven. His owner Leonel Costa has his own theories. As miraculous as his age is his life story, as the dog was supposed to be killed shortly after birth. A lucky coincidence saved his life, and he grew up in Conqueiros, Leiria, Portugal, about an hour and a half north of Lisbon. PETBOOK tells the touching story of the world’s oldest dog.
Overview
As the oldest dog of all time, Bobi broke a nearly 100-year-old world record
Bobi, a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, originally had a life expectancy of 12 to 14 years—a respectable age for large livestock guardian dogs. However, Bobi lived to over 31 years, more than twice as long. As the oldest dog of all time, he broke a world record that had stood for nearly a century. This record was previously held for decades by an Australian Cattle Dog named Bluey. The dog, living in Australia, reached 29 years and five months before being euthanized in 1939.
Previously, mainly small dog breeds, such as Chihuahua TobyKeith, held the world record as the oldest dog (PETBOOK reported). The advanced age of a large livestock guardian dog like Bobi is truly remarkable. Although Bobi was calmer in his old age and preferred to relax by the fire on cold days, Leonel Costa explained to “Guinness World Records” when Bobi received his title. Health-wise, his dog’s life was mostly trouble-free.
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Bobi narrowly escaped death as a puppy
The oldest dog of all time reportedly narrowly escaped early death as a puppy. A female dog of the Costa family gave birth to puppies in 1992 in an outbuilding where firewood was stored, reports “Guinness World Records.” Costa, then eight years old, recalls: “My father was a hunter, and we always had many dogs.” The parents decided that the family could not raise the newborn puppies. Therefore, the animals were to be buried alive and killed in such a cruel manner. According to Leonel Costa, such treatment of newborn puppies, whose eyes were still closed, was unfortunately not uncommon at the time.
Bobi, however, was lucky: The parents apparently overlooked him among the firewood, and he survived as the only puppy. The Costa family’s children noticed this a few days later. They observed the female dog repeatedly returning to the building where she had given birth to her puppies. There, they discovered the little dog. Leonel Costa told “Guinness World Records” that the children hid Bobi from the parents until the animal opened its eyes—and the parents no longer killed the puppy. Thus, Bobi was given the chance for a long, happy life, which he seems to have clearly taken advantage of.
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Owner speculates on why Bobi became the oldest dog of all time
The Costa family registered Bobi in 1992 at a veterinary facility in nearby Leiria, which confirmed his age for “Guinness World Records.” Leonel Costa attributes the advanced age of his childhood dog to his living conditions. Bobi lived in a peaceful environment, far from the noise and stress of a city. He was always free to roam the family’s land. The livestock guardian dog was never chained or walked on a leash but explored the surrounding meadows and forests.
His diet is also said to have positively influenced the longevity of the robust dog, Costa reported in an interview with “Guinness World Records.” Bobi had eaten “human food” all his life and not traditional dog food. To remove spices from the food, Costa soaked the food intended for his dogs in water. “Bobi doesn’t hesitate when choosing between a can of pet food or a piece of meat and opts for our food,” Costa said about his dog’s diet when Bobi was named the record holder. The dog also drank about a liter of water a day. Even in old age, Bobi was very sociable, though not as adventurous as before. He spent much of his time with the family’s four cats in the garden.
Bobi was not the only old dog in the Costa family
According to Leonel Costa, the Costa family’s animals have “always lived many years,” reported “Guinness World Records.” Bobi’s mother Gira lived to be 18 years old, and another dog named Chicote reached 22 years. Costa considers the relatively high age of his animals normal and a result of their living conditions in the countryside. Nevertheless, Bobi was something special for the Portuguese. The dog reminded him of the people who belonged to his family, who are no longer there. “My father, my brother, or my grandparents, who have already left this world,” Costa said. So now has his dog Bobi.