A dog dubbed the oldest dog ever has lost its title amid an investigation into its background.
Bobby, who lived in Portugal, was said to be 30 years and 268 days old It was named the oldest in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records Last February.
In October 2023, he died at the age of 31 years and 163 days.
But doubts have now been raised over whether he is indeed the oldest dog ever, although his birth has apparently been confirmed by the Portuguese government's pet database and the National Federation of Veterinarians.
Photo: Guinness World Records
Bobby was a purebred Ravero do Alentejo, a breed of livestock guarding dog with a life expectancy of 12 to 14 years.
Skeptics have wondered why photos purporting to be of Bobby in his youth appear to have white feet while they were brown in his later years, the Times reported.
Guinness World Records said it would withdraw his title until the investigation was completed.
“While our review continues, we have decided to pause both the ‘Largest Dog Alive’ and ‘Largest Dog Ever’ record titles – just until all of our findings are in place,” a company spokeswoman told The Times.
The newspaper said that it appears that his old age may have been due to the slowness in verifying the facts.
An investigation by Wired magazine found that Bobby was not registered in the Portuguese government's pet database until 2022, a year before his death.
At the time, Bobby's owner declared that the dog was born in 1992, but a database official stated that he had “no registration or data that could confirm or deny this statement,” Wired reported.
Registration of dogs born before 2008 did not become mandatory in Portugal until October 2020, so it is possible that Bobby was actually born in 1992, but his owner did not have the necessary papers to prove it, according to Wired.
The title could go to Spike, a live Chihuahua from Ohio, Who briefly held the crown last January At the age of 23 before Bobby raped her.
For an initial verification of Spike, his owner, Rita Kimball, provided Guinness World Records with vet records and invoices indicating his date of birth in 1999 as well as photos of him over the years.
But she said she had not had him since he was a puppy, and she found him in 2009 in a parking lot.
The organization told her that her evidence may not be sufficient.
Wired reported that in an email to Ms. Kimball, a Guinness World Records representative wrote: “We are reviewing how we verify animal age records at this time, so before reinstating Spike as the record holder, we would like to discuss the possibility of you arranging for a second veterinarian to evaluate Spike and confirm From his age.
“Several categories of our records will likely require a second opinion for verification in the future.”
