World’s ‘oldest dog’ has record suspended amid new tricks claim

THE world’s “oldest dog” has had its title suspended after veterinarians cast doubt on claims that it had lived to 31.

Bobi the Portuguese mastiff died last October, reportedly aged 31 years and 165 days, eight months after it was honoured as the world’s oldest living canine.

However, Bobi has now had his Guinness World Record posthumously suspended after a photograph from 1999 emerged, showing the dog with white, rather than brown, paws.

Leonel Costa, Bobi’s owner, has not publicly responded to the allegations of cheating but Guinness World Records said it was investigating the doubts over the dog’s age.

A spokesman said: “While our review is ongoing we have decided to temporarily pause both the record titles for the oldest dog living and oldest ever.”

Bobi, a pure-bred Rafeiro do Alentejo, lived its entire life in the village of Conqueiros in Portugal, far surpassing the breed’s life expectancy of 14 years.

Bobi’s date of birth was certified by cross-referencing it with an entry on Portugal’s national pet database, but that was only added in 2022.

An official at the database told Wired magazine that Guinness World Records had never contacted them to verify Bobi’s date of birth. Genetic testing only confirmed he was elderly, not his age.

Danny Chambers, a vet and council member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, told The Guardian that “not a single one of my veterinary colleagues believes Bobi was actually 31 years’ old”.

The record for the oldest ever dog could now revert to Bluey, an Australian cattle dog who died in 1939 aged 29. The oldest living dog may go to Spike, a 24-year-old chihuahua from Ohio.