World’s oldest dog, Bobi, dies at age 31

The world’s oldest dog, Bobi, died on Sunday at the age of 31.

Hailing from Leiria, Portugal, Bobi is also the

oldest dog ever on record.

The news of Bobi’s death was announced on Facebook by American veterinarian Karen Becker on Monday morning.

“Is there ever enough time? I think not,” said Dr Becker, who is described on her website as the “most followed veterinarian in the world”.

“Despite outliving every dog in history, his 11,478 days on earth would never be enough, for those who loved him.”

Dr Becker had met Bobi in February following his certification as the world’s oldest living dog and the oldest dog ever on record by Guinness World Records. At the time, he was 30 years and 266 days old.

She was also present at Bobi’s birthday party on May 11 when he turned 31, according to The Portugal News.

Bobi’s owner, Mr Leonel Costa, had attributed the dog’s exceptionally long life to “good nutrition, constant contact with nature, freedom to discover his environment, consistent veterinary care, and love”, said Dr Becker in her Facebook post on Monday.

Mr Costa said: “Bobi knows he’s deeply loved.”

Bobi was a pure-bred Rafeiro do Alentejo, a Portuguese breed of livestock guardian dogs with an average life expectancy of 12 to 14 years. He lived his entire life with the Costa family in the rural village of Conqueiros in Leiria, Portugal.

In 1992, Bobi was registered with the Veterinary Medical Service of the Municipality of Leiria, which confirmed the dog’s birth date.

Bobi’s age was also verified by SIAC, a pet database authorised by the Portuguese government and managed by the National Union of Veterinarians.

The average life expectancy of dogs is 12 years, according to the scientific journal Nature, though small dogs tend to live a year or two longer than the bigger breeds.

It is difficult to pinpoint how old Bobi is in human years, as the notion of one human year being equivalent to seven dog years is a myth, according to Forbes.

Citing the American Animal Hospital Association, Forbes says the first year of a dog’s life is equivalent to 15 human years.

A 2013 study on the relationship between a dog’s size and mortality led researchers to conclude that large dogs tend to die at a younger age because they age faster than smaller dogs.

“Dog ageing isn’t a perfect science and isn’t even the same from dog to dog. Dogs mature more quickly in their first few years of their life, compared to later years, so all years are not equal,” certified professional dog trainer and pet lifestyle expert Nicole Ellis told Forbes.

“It is believed this myth came to help pet parents understand the importance of yearly vet visits by showing that our dogs age much faster than us, and hence, a lot can change in a year and routine visits to your vet are important.”

Before Bobi, the previous oldest dog ever was a Portuguese pooch named Bluey, an Australian cattle dog that lived for 29 years and five months.