World's oldest dog Bobi dies at 31 after living a 'calm and peaceful' life

Bobi, the world's oldest dog known ever, passed away this weekend in a veterinary clinic in Portugal, Guinness World Records announced on Monday (Oct 23). The purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo from Portugal lived until the age of 31. His longevity is an anomaly, as he belonged to a breed whose lifespan ranges between 12 to 14 years.

His demise gained attention from all over the world as he was declared the world's oldest dog by Guinness World Records this year in February, surpassing Bluey, an Australian dog that passed away in 1939 at the age of 29 years and 5 months.

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"Bobi lived to be 31 years 165 days old and spent his entire life with his loving owner Leonel Costa and his family in the Portuguese village of Conqueiros," the Guinness World Records said in a news release.

His age was confirmed by a registration with a veterinary medical service in Leiria, Portugal, and with a Portuguese government-owned pet database.

This year in May, Bobi's owner celebrated his 31st birthday and threw him a traditional party, which was attended by more than 100 guests.

He was born in a litter of four puppies. Initially, the owner, Leonel Costa's parents, decided not to keep them. As they already had too many pets, they put down the puppies, which they said was common practice at that time, by burying them in a hole.

Costa discovered Bobi after he escaped, and secretly started taking care of him. When Costa's parents found him, he was too old to be put down so they decided to keep him.

Bobi was never restrained or chained. He drank plenty of water and only ate food meant for humans, his owner said. Costa attributed Bobi's "calm, peaceful" life as the reason for his advanced age.

(With inputs from agencies)

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