Guinness World Records is investigating whether the dog it declared the oldest was as old as his owner said.
Bobi died in October at what his owners said was the age of 31 years and 165 days old, supposedly confirmed by Serviço Medico-Vetinário do Município de Leiria, which said the dog had been registered in 1992. The Portuguese government-authorized pet database SIAC verified the claim when Bobi’s feat was announced, CNN reported.
Bobi was named the oldest ever dog in February 2023, USA Today reported. But veterinarians were skeptical that Bobi was truly 31 years old, according to The Associated Press.
The dog was a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, a Portuguese hunting dog now used to guard livestock, which typically lives up to 14 years, The New York Times reported.
The Guardian reported that photos of Bobi from 1999 showed different coloring than those taken later in life, specifically the color of his paws.
Guinness World Records has opened a formal review after people suspected that the evidence proving his age wasn’t accurate. The organization is reaching out to people connected to the original world record application.
“While our review is ongoing we have decided to temporarily pause both the record titles for oldest dog living and ever just until all of our findings are in place,” Guinness representatives told the AP.
Leonel Costa said he was 8 when Bobi was born in 1992. He told the AP via email that he spent a year checking the record and has not earned any money from it. Costa also said Guinness hasn’t reached out to him about the allegations.
Costa said that Bobi lived as long as he claimed due to the dog’s diet and that he ate one similar to a human diet, going against veterinarians recommendations, the BBC reported.
“Everything would be different if we had said he ate pet food for three decades,” Costa said, according to the BBC.
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