Yahoo Finance 30-Year-Old Pup from Portugal Named World's Oldest Dog Days After Last Canine Took the Title
GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS
Just days after Spike the chihuahua was officially named the World's Oldest Living Dog by Guinness World Records, a new winner of the title has been crowned!
Spike, 23, earned the Guinness World Records title of World's Oldest Living Dog on Jan. 19, but on Feb. 2, the organization announced that it recently received evidence of an even older dog: Bobi, a 30-year-old canine.
Guinness World Records verified Bobi's age and officially proclaimed him the World's Oldest Living Dog and the World's Oldest Dog Ever.
Bobi, who is 30 years and 267 days old as of Feb. 2, according to Guinness World Records, is a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, a breed with a life expectancy of 12-14 years. The senior canine lives in Portugal with the Costa family.
Bobi's owner Leonel Costa, 38, who was eight when his pup was born, described the dog to Guinness as "one of a kind" and said that the pet enjoys eating and playing with the family's four cats.
Bobi's family is unsure what longevity secrets Bobi knows, but they wish he would share them with the group.
GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS
RELATED: Ronald the Puppy Finds His Perfect Home After 14 Failed Adoptions
"Bobi has been a warrior for all these years; only he knows how he's been holding on, it must not be easy because the average dog's life span is not that high, and if he spoke, only he could explain this success," Costa told Guinness. "We are very happy and grateful to life for allowing us, after 30 years, to have Bobi in our daily lives."
He added that his furry friend becoming a Guinness World Records title holder is "an immense joy."
Bobi replaces Bluey as the record holder for the Oldest Dog Ever. Bluey was an Australian cattle dog who passed away aged 29 years and 5 months in November 1939.
GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS
RELATED: Hero Golden Retriever Detection Dog Protects Owner with Severe Allergy by Sniffing Out Peanuts
Bobi, born on his family's farm in Conqueiros, Portugal, on May 11, 1992, had a health scare in 2018 when he was hospitalized after collapsing due to breathing problems.
The record-breaking pet also has eyesight and mobility issues that have come with age, but overall he is following in his family's long-lasting footsteps. Bobi's mother, Gira, lived to be 18, while another of the Costa family's dogs, Chicote, lived to be 22.
GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
For the title of Oldest Living Dog, Bobi replaced previous title holder Spike, a 23-year-old Chihuahua with a love for baths and Doritos. Spike took over the spot from Gino, a 22-year-old mixed breed pup from Los Angeles who received the title in 2022.
