Can you imagine living to the ripe age of 30? Most of us can’t, but one special pup from Portugal has done just that. Meet Bobi, the world’s oldest living dog and the oldest dog to ever live, according to Guinness World Records.
Bobi is a Portuguese purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, a breed of livestock guardian dog. He has lived for double his life expectancy of 12 to 14 years. His age has been confirmed by the Veterinary Medical Service of the Municipality of Leiria and SIAC, a pet database authorized by the Portuguese government.
Bobi’s owner, Leonel Costa, was just 8 years old when Bobi was born on May 11, 1992. He and his brother had to keep Bobi’s existence a secret until his eyes were open, as they feared their parents would take him away to be destroyed. Bobi grew up in a “calm, peaceful environment” and was very sociable, living alongside many other animals and roaming free in the forests and farmland around the house.
Bobi has been a warrior for all these years, only he knows how he’s been holding on. Leonel puts Bobi’s longevity down, in part, to the environment in which he grew up and his taste for human food. In his old age, Bobi has become less adventurous, having difficulty walking and sometimes colliding with objects due to his deteriorating eyesight. He likes a nap after meals and spends most of his time hanging out in the backyard with four cat friends.
Bobi nearly didn’t make it beyond infancy, but now he has broken an almost century-old record held by Australian cattle dog Bluey, who lived for 29 years and 5 months between 1910 and 1939. His record was nearly beaten by another Australian dog, Chilla, who was believed to have lived to the age of 32 years and 3 days upon her death on March 8, 1983, but this was not officially verified.
Bobi’s family are used to long-lived dogs, as his mother, Gira, lived to the age of 18, and another of the family’s dogs, Chicote, lived for 22 years. Leonel still hopes Bobi could father some puppies of his own one day.
We are very happy and grateful to life for allowing us, after 30 years, to have Bobi in our daily lives, said Leonel.
Bobi is truly an amazing pup, and we wish him many more years of happy and healthy life!
Source: abc13.com