Ohio dog no longer world’s oldest living one

Two weeks after naming a Chihuahua mix near Dayton as the world’s oldest living dog, Guinness World Records last week said it had found evidence of an even older dog.

Bobi is a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, a breed of livestock guardian dog with an average life expectancy of 12 to 14 years, according to Guinness. The dog lives in rural Portugal and as of Feb. 1 was 30 years and 266 days old, about seven years older than Ohio’s Spike.

Spike as of Dec. 7 was 23 years and 43 days old. The dog who lives in Preble County is 9 inches tall and weighs 12.9 pounds.

Spike’s owner Rita Kimball, of Camden, Ohio, told Guinness that she and her family found Spike in the parking lot of a Camden grocery store about 13 years ago. He was 10 years old at the time, though it’s unclear from Guinness’ article how Kimball determined his age.

Bobi’s owners registered him with a veterinarian service when he was born in 1992, and his age has been verified by a pet database, according to Guinness.

Not only is Bobi the world’s oldest living dog, but he’s the oldest ever to have lived, Guinness said in an article. The previous record-holder was Bluey, an Australian cattle dog that was born in 1910 and lived to be 29 years and five months old.

Bobi has lived his entire life with the Costa family in the rural village of Conqueiros, in Leiria, Portugal.

Born in an outbuilding where the family stored wood, the plan was to put Bobi and three other puppies down as the Costas already had too many animals.

But he was somehow left behind when Leonel Costa’s parents came to collect the pups.

Leonel told Guinness that he and his brothers decided to keep Bobi a secret, at least until the dog opened his eyes.

“We knew that when the dog opened its eyes, my parents would no longer bury it,” Leonel said. “It was popular knowledge that this act could not or should be done.”

The brothers’ plan succeeded. By the time their parents discovered Bobi, it was too late. The dog had opened his eyes, a feat that takes anywhere from two to three weeks.

“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!” Leonel told Guinness.

When asked to explain the secret to Bobi’s old age, Leonel said, “If Bobi spoke only he could explain this.”

Leonel said he thinks the calm, peaceful and rural environment in

which Bobi lives has contributed to his longevity, in addition to his diet of “human food.”

“What we ate, they ate too,” Leonel said. “Between a can of animal food or a piece of meat, Bobi doesn’t hesitate and chooses our food.”

Bobi, who turns 31 in May, isn’t the Costa family’s only dog that has defied his life expectancy. Bobi’s mother, Gira, lived to be 18, and another dog in the family, Chicote, lived to be 22.

“We see situations like this as a normal result of the life that they have, but Bobi is one of a kind,” Leonel said. mtrombly@dispatch.com @monroetrombly

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS At 23 years old, a Chihuahua mix from Camden, Ohio, named Spike was identified earlier this year as the oldest living dog in the world according to Guinness World Records. That designation didn’t last long, though, as an older dog was found in Portugal.

PROVIDED Not only is Bobi the world’s oldest living dog, but he’s the oldest ever to have lived, Guinness said in an article. The previous record-holder was Bluey, an Australian cattle dog who was born in 1910 and lived to be 29 years and five months old.