On October 20, Bobi, the oldest dog ever, died in an animal hospital at 31 years and 165 days. He was given the world record for the oldest living dog and oldest dog ever on February 2, 2023, given to him by Guinness World Records. He took it from Bluey, an Australian Cattle Dog who died 29 years old in 1939.  His owner was Leonel Costa, and they both lived together happily in Conquieros, a village in Portugal. Bobi lived for a long time, but wasn’t originally supposed to.

Leonel’s family dog had a litter of four puppies, but the family already owned so many animals, his father decided they shouldn’t keep them. It was normal at the time for puppies that were unwanted to be buried in a hole so that they wouldn’t be able to survive, and that was his father’s plan. But luckily, Bobi was hidden behind a woodstack near where he was born, and later when discovered by the Costa children, they kept him a secret until their parents eventually found out. Bobi was too old to be put down, and so he became a part of the family.

Leonel says the reason why Bobi lived so long is because he was never put on a leash. He continued a peaceful and stress free life, and had free roam of the grounds around their house. Another contributor was his diet, as he strictly ate “human food,” but Leonel soaked it all in water before giving it to him to rid it of the seasonings. As he got older, his eyesight and walking got worse, and he spent most of his days lazing around with his cat brothers and sisters.

Bobi was a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, it is a Portuguese livestock guardian dog. They usually have a life expectancy of 12-14 years, but we know that they have a much larger potential. Typically smaller breeds of dogs live longer, like the Chihuahua or Shih Tzu, with the French Mastiff and Irish Wolfhound having the shortest lifespan.

We love and miss you Bobi.