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| - Guinness World Records announced in February 2023 that it had reviewed the evidence and confirmed that Bobi was the oldest dog on record. However, one year later, Guinness reported that another review of the matter found that the organization no longer had the credible evidence needed to support Bobi’s claim to the record.
In May 2023, we received emails from readers who wanted to know if a 31-year-old Portuguese dog named Bobi truly was the world's oldest dog ever recorded.
One of the messages asked, "Is Bobi REALLY the oldest dog? There's been debate that the pictures of young Bobi aren't the same dog. Some say they're stock photos. Who is Bobi and how old is he?!"
It's true that Guinness World Records (GWR) published a report that said it had confirmed, according to its review criteria, that Bobi was the oldest dog on record. However, that all changed in February 2024, when GWR reported that a review of the matter found the organization no longer had the credible evidence that was needed to confirm Bobi's age.
February 2023: Guinness Initially Confirms Bobi's Age
In February 2023, Guinness reported that it was able to verify with two sources that Bobi, a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, was the oldest living dog at 30 years old and also the oldest dog ever recorded:
Bobi's birth date has been confirmed by Serviço Medico-Veterinário do Município de Leiria (Veterinary Medical Service of the Municipality of Leiria), who registered Bobi in 1992.
His age has also been verified by SIAC, a pet database authorized by the Portuguese government and managed by the SNMV (Sindicato Nacional dos Médicos Veterinários; National Union of Veterinarians).
The information from Guinness said that Bobi was born on May 11, 1992, in the village of Conqueiros in Leiria, Portugal.
Bobi's owner, Leonel Costa, was eight years old when he was born. He told Guinness that he attributed the pup's long life to his "calm, peaceful environment," and the fact that he'd always been free to roam without chains or leashes, including the forests and farmland that surrounded the Costa's home.
One email that we received from a reader included a collage of four photos. The message read, "The newly claimed world's oldest dog story does not check out. Photos of the dog from 1999 are not the same dog as photos from 2022."
This photo collage was attached to an email from a reader.
According to Guinness, all four of these pictures showed Bobi. The two top photos that appeared to be old were dated to 1999. The bottom-left picture with Bobi and a cat named Ceguinho showed a date of 2022. The final photo with the person's hand petting Bobi with his ears going back was dated to 2016.
May 2023: Bobi's Final Birthday
In May 2023, Guinness reported that Bobi was still alive for his 31st birthday, an occasion that was said to have been expecting "more than 100 people" to attend.
October 2023: Bobi's Death
Several months after this fact check was first published, the world received word that Bobi had died. He passed away on Oct. 21, 2023, at the age of 31. The BBC cited a post on Dr. Karen Becker's verified Facebook page as its source for the news.
Becker previously posted about attending Bobi's 31st birthday party in May, providing further (and unfortunate) confirmation that this was not a death hoax and that he truly had passed away.
One commenter remarked, "My sympathy to his family. Such a special boy. Run free at the Rainbow Bridge."
February 2024: Guinness Publishes Review Findings
Months later, in February 2024, Guinness published a new report that said it had conducted a review of Bobi's case, "following concerns raised by vets and other experts, both privately as well as within public commentary, and the findings of investigations conducted by some media outlets."
Mark McKinley, who holds the title of director of records at Guinness, said that the review concluded that it "no longer has the evidence it needs to support Bobi's claim as the record holder," specifically citing an issue with the dog's microchip:
"We of course require evidence for all Guinness World Records titles we monitor, often a minimum of two statements from witnesses and subject experts alongside pictures, video and where appropriate we will also assess data provided by technology relevant to the achievement. This might be GPS data for a journey record, timing-gate data for a speed record, or where available; microchip data to prove the age of a pet."
He added: "Central to Bobi's evidence was microchip data sourced from the Portuguese government database, the SIAC, which it transpires, when chipped in 2022, did not require proof of age for dogs born before 2008. With the additional veterinary statement provided as evidence for Bobi's age also citing this microchip data, we're left with no conclusive evidence which can definitively prove Bobi's date of birth.
"Without any conclusive evidence available to us right now, we simply can't retain Bobi as the record holder and honestly claim to maintain the high standards we set ourselves.
This story will be updated if any further details come to light.
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