Bobi, the longest-lived dog ever, is over thirty years old. So much so that, in his thirty-first year of life, he entered the Guinness Book of Records. Of the Rafeiro do Alentejo breed, Bobi lives on a family farm in the village of Conqueiros where he was born, in the Leira district of Portugal, and at 30 years and 267 days old he achieved a real world record. The secret of the dog’s longevity, born on May 11, 1992, according to the family with whom he lives is given by the fact that he leads a ”life in the countryside, in a peaceful environment surrounded by nature”. Despite his age, it seems that he is ”still healthy enough to play with the four cats in the family”.
The Veterinary Medical Service of the City of Leiria has confirmed Bobi’s age, as has Siac, a pet database authorized by the Portuguese government and managed by the National Union of Veterinarians. Bobi, who currently has only a few walking and vision problems, took the title that previously belonged to Spike, a chihuahua from Camden, Ohio, who had won the award at 23 years and 7 months on December 7 last year .
A dog ”one of a kind” therefore, as described by his owner Leonel Costa, explaining that the specimen mostly eats the same food as humans, but only after being rinsed with hot water to remove the condiments. ” Bobi has been a warrior all these years, only he knows how tough he’s held on. It can’t be easy because the average life span of a dog is not that high and if only he could talk he could explain his success to us”, added Costa, saying that it is “an immense joy” to see his longevity recognized in the Guinness Book of Records.
