Guinness Suspends Bobi’s ‘Oldest Dog Ever’ Record While Claim Is Under Review

Guinness World Records suspends Bobi’s ‘Oldest Dog Ever‘ and ‘World’s Oldest Living Dog’ titles after professionals questioned the legitimacy of the canine’s age.

In a statement shared by the Guinness World records to the Associated Press, they revealed that they have striped the dog from his titles while currently conducting a formal review.

Furthermore, while the review is ongoing, Guinness shares with the The Associated Press by email on Tuesday, January 16 that they have decided to “temporarily pause” applications for both records (‘Oldest Living Dog’ and ‘Oldest Dog Ever) until all their findings are in place.

Bobi, a purebred livestock guardian dog from Portugal, was crowned by the Guinness World Records as the ‘World’s Oldest Living Dog‘ and ‘Oldest Dog Ever’ in February of 2023 at the age of 30.

The dog was able to celebrate his 31st birthday in May before sadly passing away in October of the same year.

When the dog passed away, some veterinarians and professionals questioned the canine’s age, hence Guinness World Record’s suspension of the title and investigation of the claim.

When Guinness World Record announced Bobi’s record, they revealed that his birth date (May 11, 1992) was confirmed and verified by the Veterinary Medical Service of the Municipality of Leiria and SIAC, a pet database authorized by the Portuguese government.

However, in December 2023, Wired debunked the claim on Bobi’s age saying, the dog had “no registration or data that can confirm or deny this statement” in the Portuguese government’s pet database.

Furthermore, Wired reveals that the database wasn’t contacted by Guinness World Records to verify Bobi’s information.

The Associated Press also reports that Bobi’s owner, Leonel Costa, wasn’t answering to any calls or text messages regarding Bobi’s age.