Guinness World Records rescinds 'oldest dog' title due to lack of evidence
In February 2023, Bobi, a resident of Conqueiros, Portugal, was declared the world's oldest dog. Sadly, he breathed his last few months later (in October). Leonel Costa, his owner, maintained that the animal had lived for 31 years and 165 days.
25 February 2024 11:44
As corroboration of his assertion, the initial report from the Guinness World Records was a document issued by a local vet in May 1992 shortly following the animal's birth.
'World's oldest dog' is stripped of his title. Decision made by Guinness World Records
However, not long after the dog's passing, numerous doubts and conjectures surfaced on social media about whether he was truly the global record holder. Therefore, delegates from the Guinness World Records opted to look into the issue. The outcome of this extensive, months-long investigation has just been disclosed.
Citing the doubts expressed by vets and other experts, both in private and public forums, as well as the findings of certain media investigations, we've deemed it vital to reassess Bobi's record, stated Mark McKinley, the Director of Records at the Guinness World Records.
The investigation concluded that there's no convincing proof that Bobi actually lived to an age of 31 years. Veterinarians pointed out that this would equate to around 200 human years.
The primary factor was the data from the microchip sourced from the Portuguese SIAC database, which— in the case of a chip implanted in 2022— didn't mandate age verification for dogs born prior to 2008, as per Mark McKinley.
The Director of Records at the Guinness World Records further added, that "consequently, there's no definitive evidence that could conclusively confirm Bobi's date of birth."
Who is the current title holder?
The owner of the dog has been notified of the results of the investigation. The man has stated that he will scrutinise all the newly presented evidence. It remains unclear at the moment who truly holds the title of being the oldest dog in history.
We're presently unable to announce the new record holder, though we certainly hope that the buzz surrounding the record title will inspire pet owners globally to reach out to us, said McKinley.
