A new oldest dog has been discovered

By Oscar Goranson ‘24

On January 20, 2023, the Guinness World Records (GWR) team awarded Spike, a Chihuahua mix from Ohio, with the record of the world's oldest living dog at 23 years and seven days old. While Spike couldn’t participate in any celebration of his record because he is partially deaf and blind, his family proudly told his triumphant story.

But just two weeks later, on February 2, 2023, Spike was dethroned as the world’s oldest living dog, when Guinness World Records found evidence of an older dog living in Portugal. A much, much older dog.

Residing in the rural village of Conqueiros, Portugal, lives Bobi, a 30 year, 269-day-old dog, his age verified by GWR. In fact, Bobi not only dethroned Spike as the oldest living dog, but he now holds the record for the oldest dog to be recorded in history.

The record was previously held by none other than the infamous Bluey, “the oldest dog ever verified.” Well, Bluey was the oldest until now. Bluey was an Australian pup born in 1910, living to the ripe age of 29 years and five months old before his triumphant life came to an end when he was euthanized in 1939.

So how did Bobi snag the world record from previous legends such as Bluey and Spike? What contributed to his incredible longevity? The secret is not as simple as you might think. “If Bobi spoke, only he could explain this,” stated Bobi’s owner, 38-year-old Leonel Costa.

However, Costa has some theories as to how Bobi’s lifestyle might’ve contributed to his prolonged life. He believes one of the largest contributing factors is that Bobi lives in a “calm, peaceful environment …far from the cities.”

Costa also does not neglect that Bobi’s longevity could be attributed to his unusual diet. Throughout Bobi’s life, Costa would soak human food in water to remove most of the seasoning before feeding to him. Eventually, Bobi became so accustomed to this diet that when choosing "between a can of animal food or a piece of meat, Bobi doesn't hesitate and chooses our food."

Bobi is also known to be very sociable, even in his old age, often seen hanging out with his four feline friends and other animals too. He is also known to have the freedom to be unleashed through forests and farmland, close to the calm countryside in which he was brought up.

Despite his incredible feat, Bobi had a hard upbringing. He almost didn’t make it past infancy, making his record even more impressive. Costa was only eight years old when Bobi’s litter was born in the family's backyard woodshed. However, his family had lots of animals and couldn’t afford to keep any more puppies.

“Unfortunately, at that time it was considered normal by older people who could not have more animals at home … to bury the animals in a hole so that they would not survive,” In fact, that’s exactly when Lionel Costa’s father did. The newborn litter was buried six feet deep as newborn puppies, except for one, Bobi the brave. He had hidden behind some firewood and survived. Costa had found Bobi hiding and hid him from his parents until Bobi opened his eyes because he “knew that when the dog opened its eyes, my parents would no longer bury it. […] It was popular knowledge that this act could not or should be done.”

After two weeks, when Bobi’s eyes finally opened, Costa introduced him to the family. “I confess that when they [Costa’s parents] found out that we already knew [that Bobi had survived], they screamed a lot and punished us, but it was worth it and for a good reason!”

Costa reflects on Bobi’s long life as the “last of a long generation of animals” and “one of a kind.”

The recognition of Bobi as the oldest living dog has generated widespread attention and admiration among dog lovers globally. His longevity serves as a reminder of the strong bond between humans and dogs, and the crucial role of how a happy life for dogs can lead to longevity. “I confess that when they found out that we already knew, they screamed a lot and punished us, but it was worth it and for a good reason!”