Bobi, the Portuguese mastiff hailed as the oldest dog ever, is facing a reassessment of his title by Guinness World Records due to concerns surrounding his reported age of 31.
Guinness had initially acknowledged Bobi as both the world’s oldest living dog and the oldest dog ever in February 2023, following his passing in October 2023.
However, doubts emerged posthumously, triggering scrutiny about the accuracy of Bobi’s 31 years, which equates to more than 200 human years.
Some discrepancies included differences in paw colour in images from 1999 compared to those of the dog that passed away in Portugal in 2023.
Vets highlighted the reliance on owners’ self-certification for age registration on the national pet database and emphasised that genetic testing confirmed Bobi’s old age but failed to provide an exact age.
Guinness has since initiated a “formal review” of the oldest dog record, temporarily suspending applications for both the titles of oldest dog living and ever.
Now we wait.
