The World’s Oldest Dog, Bobi, Turns 31

Bobi, a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo and the world’s oldest dog, has turned 31.

Born on May 11, 1992, in the rural village of Conqueiros, Portugal, Bobi was not supposed to live.

Bobi’s owner, Leonel Costa, was only eight years old when Bobi was born and at the time of Bobi’s birth, Costa and his family already owned too many animals. 

“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,” Costa told Guinness World Records.

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Bobi was born with three other puppies and when Costa’s parents buried them, they didn’t notice that Bobi had survived. Costa and his brothers only discovered Bobi when Costa’s mother kept returning to the shed where the puppies were born. 

Rafeiro do Alentejos have a life span of 12 to 14 years, and Bobi has lived more than twice that.

It has been 31 years and Bobi continues to live out his days on a farm, away from the city and eating human food, which Costa believes plays a part in Bobi’s longevity.

“Between a can of animal food or a piece of meat, Bobi doesn’t hesitate and chooses our food,” Costa said.

It would be difficult to calculate Bobi’s age in human years because the popular 7:1 ratio, meaning one dog year is equivalent to seven human years, is not entirely accurate.

According to the American Kennel Club, the first year of a dog equals 15 human years, the second year equals nine years and the years after would be around five years, depending on the breed. 

Bobi was certified the world’s oldest dog by the Guinness World Records earlier this year, two weeks after another dog named Spike, who is 22 years old, had been announced as the oldest.