World of the Bizarre

World's oldest dog turns 31 after avoiding being put down as a puppy

By T.K. Randall
May 12, 2023

Image: Labrador Retriever (illustrative)
Credit: Herwig Kavallar / (PD) Officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest dog, Bobi was born in Portugal and has spent his entire life living with the Costa family in the village of Conqueiros after narrowly escaping being put down as a puppy.

His age is all the more remarkable given that his breed typically only lives for up to 14 years.

It isn't exactly clear why he was managed to live for so long, but his owner - Leonel - attributes a combination of his free-roaming lifestyle, healthy eating and drinking lots of water as contributing factors.Even so, age is finally starting to catch up to Bobi as he struggles to walk and has eyesight problems.

"Bobi is special because looking at him is like remembering the people who were part of our family and unfortunately are no longer here, like my father, my brother, or my grandparents who have already left this world," said Leonel.

"Bobi represents those generations."

Source: Guinness World Records

Tags: Dog