Guinness World Records: 'World's oldest dog' Bobi stripped of title after death - amid concerns about real age

A Portuguese guard dog who was allegedly 31 when he died has been posthumously stripped of his title, over concerns about his real age.

On Thursday (22 February), Guinness World Records revealed it had ruled against Bobi keeping his 'World's oldest dog' record., saying that after a thorough investigation, it “no longer has the evidence it needs to support Bobi’s claim as the record holder”.

Bobi had lived on a farm in the village of Conqueiros in Portugal with his owner, Leonel Costa. The pup was a Rafeiro do Alentejo, a breed with an average life expectancy of about 10 to 14 years.

AP reports he was proclaimed to be the world’s oldest living dog, and oldest dog ever, back in February 2023. Said to have been born on May 11, 1992, Bobi died last October.

GWR's director of records Mark McKinley said they opened an investigation after concerns were raised by vets and other experts, both privately and publicly, and they faced questions from the media. “We take tremendous pride in ensuring as best we can the accuracy and integrity of all our record titles,” he said in a statement. The group had suspended Bobi's title - pending their review - last month.

“We of course require evidence for all Guinness World Records titles we monitor, often a minimum of two statements from witnesses and subject experts,” Mr McKinley continued. He said they also considered pictures, video and, where appropriate, data provided by technology relevant to the achievement.

However, a lack of evidence from Bobi’s microchip data left GWR with no conclusive evidence of his date of birth. In an emailed statement in January, his owner defended the title, saying Guinness World Records had spent a year checking the record claim.

Mr McKinley added that it was too early to decide on who holds the record in Bobi's place. “It’s going to take a long time for microchip uptake around the world to catch up with pet ownership, especially of older pets,” he said. “Until that time, we’ll require documentary evidence for all years of a pet’s life.”