[Animals] Bad news, Spike: there is a dog alive that is older and has the oldest age ever recorded.

[Akrapovic]

Two weeks ago Spike, a 23-year-old Chihuahua mix from Ohio, was named the world's oldest living dog. Now, he has been completely dethroned.

 

 

Bobi, at 30 years and 268 days, was crowned the world's oldest living dog, and the oldest dog ever recorded, by Guinness World Records (GWR).

Bobi is very social and likes to nap and eat human food. Guinness World Records

The purebred Portuguese Rafeiro do Alentejo—a breed of livestock guardian dog—has lived twice its life expectancy of 12 to 14 years, according to a GWR statement.

In doing so, Bobi, who has spent his entire life with the Costa family in the town of Conqueiros, in Leiria, western Portugal, has broken a nearly century-old record held by the Australian shepherd dog Bluey, who lived to be 29 years old and 5 months between 1910 and 1939.

While another Australian dog, Chilla, was believed to have lived to be 32 years and 3 days after her death on March 8, 1983, this has not been officially verified. Bobi's age has been confirmed by the Veterinary Medical Service of the Municipality of Leiria and SIAC, a pet database authorized by the Portuguese government.

Flossie, the world's oldest living cat, is almost 27 years old
Owner Leonel Costa, who was just 8 years old when Bobi was born on May 11, 1992, said in the statement: “Bobi has been a warrior all these years, only he knows how he has been holding up, it must not be easy because the average life of a dog is not that high and if it only talked, it could explain this success.

The Costa family is used to long-lived dogs. According to a post on the GWR website, Bobi's mother, Gira, lived to be 18, and another of the family's dogs, Chicote, lived for 22 years. So Costa, who still hopes Bobi will be able to sire a few puppies one day, said he never thought of registering him as the oldest dog when he applied for the title of oldest living dog.

“We view situations like this as a normal outcome of the life they lead, but Bobi is unique,” he said in the statement.

The best kept secret
But Bobi almost did not survive childhood. When he and his three siblings were born in the family woodshed, Costa's father decided they already had too many animals at home.

Costa and his brother thought that his parents had taken all the cubs to destroy them. However, a few dismal days later, Bobi was found alive, safely hidden in a pile of logs.

Costa and his brother kept the puppy's existence a secret until he opened his eyes: "We knew that when the dog opened his eyes, my parents would no longer bury him," Costa said, adding that "it was worth it."

Wood in the Costa family outbuilding kept newborn Bobi hidden. Guinness World Records

Bobi grew up "very social," along with many other animals, and roamed freely in the woods and farmland around the home, according to the statement.

Costa attributes the longevity of his pet, in part, to the "calm and peaceful environment" in which he grew up, as well as his taste for human food.

In his old age, Bobi has become less adventurous. He has difficulty walking and sometimes bumps into objects because his eyesight has deteriorated. He likes to nap after meals and he spends most of his time in the backyard with four cat friends.

The dog had "a huge scare" in 2018 and ended up in hospital after collapsing with difficulty breathing. However, regular vet checkups "have always shown that he's doing well for his old age," Costa said.

"We are very happy and grateful to life for allowing us, after 30 years, to have Bobi in our daily lives," he said.

 

link: https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2023/02/03/bobi-es-el-perro-vivo-mas-viejo-del-mundo-trax/