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Guinness Records chief Mark McKinley said in a statement: “In the absence of conclusive evidence available at this time, we cannot honestly claim that we will retain Bobi as the record holder and uphold the high standards he has set for himself. I can’t.” It has been less than a month since the organization began a “formal review” of Bobi’s age.
Bobi, who lived all her life in Leiria, Portugal, was a Rafeiro do Alentejo, typically a herding breed with a lifespan of 12 to 14 years. The previous Guinness World Record holder for the oldest dog was the Australian Cattle Dog Bluey, who lived for 29 years and 5 months before his death in 1939. This new record made news all over the world.
Guinness wrote about Bobi again in May to commemorate her 31st birthday. When Bobbi died in October, the organization wrote an obituary of sorts, claiming the dog had lived 31 years and 165 days.
Questions regarding Bobi’s age surfaced soon after his death. In October, British veterinarian Danny Chambers, a trustee of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, told the Guardian that none of his colleagues believed Bobbi was actually 31 years old. He told a British newspaper that small dogs are usually the only dogs that live longer. Late teens.
“Bobbi’s reported age is equivalent to more than 200 human years, but given our current understanding of the aging process and medical capabilities, this is highly unlikely,” Chambers said. He wrote this in an editorial for the non-profit magazine Skeptic. “Abnormal claims” about unusual phenomena.
In December, Wired reported that the Portuguese government’s pet database had a record of Bobbi’s owner registering him, but there was no evidence that the dog was born in 1992.
In January, Guinness announced that it was reviewing Bobi’s title.
In a statement to the BBC at the time, Bobi’s owner Leonel Costa defended the late dog’s award and said allegations about his age were “baseless”.
“The elites of the veterinary community … tried to feed people the idea that Bobi’s life story was not true,” Costa said in a statement.
Chambers said in a statement to the Washington Post last month that he sympathized with Costa, but added, “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and so far no concrete evidence has been provided.” No,” he said.
On Thursday, Guinness announced it had agreed. There was no evidence that Bobbi lived as long as Costa claimed. Guinness said it relied on a microchip implanted by a Portuguese veterinary institution and a central government-approved pet database to verify Bobi’s age as the original record. But that organization, Sistema de Informação de Animais de Companhia, did not verify Bobi’s date of birth when she received her microchip in 2022, McKinley said in a statement.
A year ago, when Guinness announced that Bobbi had set the record for oldest dog in history, Guinness quoted Costa as saying, “Bobbi was not supposed to live more than a few days.” Costa told Guinness at the time that the puppy and its litter were born in 1992 on his family’s farm in Portugal, in a building used to store wood. Costa’s father decided he already had too many animals and had his puppies euthanized.
Bobbi escaped without being noticed. According to Guinness, he was soon discovered by Costa, who was 8 years old at the time. He and his siblings initially kept him a secret from his parents. Over time, Bobi became part of his family, roaming around the farm, eating people’s food, and generally enjoying the “quiet and peaceful environment far away from the city.” His owner believed that all of this was due to his long life.
McKinley said in a statement that Guinness has not decided on a new titleholder.
“We hope that by promoting the record title, pet owners around the world will reach out to us,” McKinley added.
Mr Chambers, the veterinarian, said medical advances would one day allow dogs to routinely live to the age of 31. For now, he said, a dog’s quality of life is more important than longevity.
“Dogs have no aspirations to live long lives; they just want to be happy, healthy, and enjoy the company of their owners every day,” he wrote in an email Friday.
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