Bobi, who was crowned the oldest dog of all time a year ago, lost his title for lack
of “conclusive evidence”
capable of proving his age, the Guinness World Record (GWR) said on Thursday.
After an investigation opened a month ago, Guinness concluded that it
“no longer had the necessary evidence”
to maintain the title awarded to Bobi, the organization which lists world records said in a press release.
To discover
February: what vegetables and fruits are in season?
Bobi, who in February 2023 was crowned the oldest living dog and the oldest dog of all time, died last October at the age of 31 years and 165 days.
This Rafeiro, a breed of dog that normally has a life expectancy of between 12 and 14 years on average, lived surrounded by cats in a house in Conqueiros, a small village in central Portugal.
“Unfounded suspicions”
The exceptional longevity of this dog, aged 30 years and 266 days when it was recognized by Guinness, had however raised numerous questions from several veterinarians and specialists, so much so that Guinness announced its suspension ago one month the titles of this record in order to carry out an investigation.
The owner of Bobi Leonel Costa then judged all these
“unfounded suspicions”
.
To verify Bobi's age, Guinness relied in particular on the Companion Animal Information System (SIAC) database,
"which did not require proof to justify the age for animals born before 2008”
, when the dog was registered in 2022, explains Mark McKinley, director of the GWR cited in the press release.
As age verification is particularly difficult, Guinness states that it
"is currently unable to confirm the new holder of this record"
.