The world's oldest dog has been officially stripped of its Guinness Book of Records title, the world record-breaking authority announced Thursday.
Guinness previously reported that Bobbi, 31-year-old Rafeiro do Alentejo from Portugal, was arrested after “a number of veterinarians have expressed concern and skepticism about the dog's age.” Spent the last month researching.
Bobbi passed away in February 2023, about eight months after being awarded the title of oldest dog.
They are “reviewing the evidence on file, looking for new evidence, and reaching out to experts and others involved in the original application,” Guinness World Records previously told USA TODAY.
According to a news release issued Thursday, the results of the official review are in and Guinness ultimately concluded that “there is no longer the necessary evidence to support Bobi's claim as record holder.” That's what it means.
Here's what we know:
Who is Bobbi?
Bobi lived his entire life in Conqueiros, a rural Portuguese village about 93 miles north of the capital, Lisbon. He was living with his owner Leonel Costa and his family, USA TODAY previously reported.
Costa's father decided that he could no longer care for Bobbi's four puppies because he already had a large number of animals. So they decided to get rid of the trash.
“Unfortunately, at the time it was considered normal for elderly people to bury animals in holes so they wouldn't survive,” Costa told Guinness.
Costa and his brothers were able to find Bobi alive nearby. He luckily escaped and hid in a pile of trees at home.
The brothers kept the pup's existence a secret for as long as possible, but when the boys' parents learned that Bobbi was alive, they said, “It was too late to euthanize the pup, so they decided to make Bobbi part of the family.” “The Guinness newspaper reported.
Despite a difficult start, Bobbi lived a life full of love and blessings.
His family hosted a “lavish birthday party” with over 100 guests to celebrate the senior dog's 31st birthday. Bobi passed away about 165 days after his birthday celebration.
Bobbi's owner described her as “one of a kind,” adding that her family is “so happy and grateful for life that we still have her in our daily lives after 30 years.”
Bobi's family has not publicly addressed Guinness' decision.
What did the official examination by Guinness World Records find?
Guinness World Records revoked Bob's record title because they were unable to prove the dog's age with the evidence provided.
The central piece of evidence linked to Bobi's preliminary application was 2022 microchip data from a government database that “does not require proof of age for dogs born before 2008.”
“Additional veterinarian statements provided as proof of Bobi's age also cited this microchip data, and there remains no conclusive evidence to conclusively prove Bobi's date of birth.” Director of Records Mark McKinley said in a statement.
McKinley added that Guinness “just cannot honestly claim to maintain Bobi as a record holder and maintain the high standards we have set for ourselves.”
Will there be a new record holder?
Eventually, but probably not for a while.
Research into Bobbi's age was one of the reasons for the move, and McKinley said: “It will take a long time for microchip adoption to catch up with pet ownership around the world.” Especially older pets. ”
“Until then, we will continue to request documentary evidence from all years of the pet's life, continue to seek veterinarian and witness statements, and consider microchip data when available,” he said. Ta.
Guinness is not currently in a position to confirm the new owner of the world's oldest dog, but “we certainly hope that the promotion of the record title will encourage pet owners around the world to contact us,” McKinley said. he added.