Bobi, who died on October 21 at the age of 31, went down in history for being the oldest dog in the world. Now, Guinness World Records has said it is investigating whether the Portuguese animal actually lived to 31 years and 165 days, after several veterinarians questioned whether it would be biologically possible for a dog to live the equivalent of 200 human years.
The suspicion that Bobi was not in fact 31 years old when he died was raised by Danny Chambers, a veterinarian who runs Veterinary Voices, a group made up of more than 18,000 professionals. “None of my veterinary colleagues believe that Bobi was actually 31 years old,” Chambers said.
The veterinarian told The Guardian that 31 years of a dog's life is equivalent to "a human being living more than 200 years" and reinforced that "given our current medical capabilities it is completely impossible". Danny Chambers further stated that Bobi's example was defended by fanatics who believe that dog food is "killing pets".
We are aware of the issues surrounding Bobi's age and are investigating them,” said a Guinness World Records spokesperson, after the controversy was raised. The dog was 'crowned' by Guinness World Records on February 1, 2023, at 30 years and 266 days. At this point, the oldest dog was Skipe, a chihuahua, from Ohio, who died at 23 years and seven days in 2022.
Related article: Portuguese dog Bobi , the oldest dog in the world, dies
A fight between Ohio and Portugal for the owners of titles of having had the oldest living dog. The Portuguese dog upbringing story is too sad maybe some of it may have been romanticized even dates, years. It was traumatic.
By Diogo F. from Lisbon on 31 Oct 2023, 01:38
Just because was a portuguese dog?
It's ok if you're a chihuahua from USA. As a vet he should known better that dog years are different from breed to breed. There's a true belief that an Australian kelpie lived for 29 and a bit and There's a statue of him.
By mario aguiar from Other on 31 Oct 2023, 11:35
The second oldest dog lived to over 29 years of age, not the age stated at the end of the article.
It's always possible Bobi was an extreme outlier, that one in a billion dogs that made it to 30, just like only one or two humans have ever reached 120 years of age. The 7 times multiplier to convert a dog's age into an equivalent human one is total nonsense, and can't be recognised.
By Billy Bissett from Porto on 31 Oct 2023, 12:11
A dog is not a human so it's odd for vets to say they are comparable.
By Darren Johnstone from Porto on 01 Nov 2023, 14:26