A Portuguese dog named Bobi — who earned the honor in February 2023 before his death in October 2023 at the age of 31 — was stripped of Guinness World Record’s “oldest dog ever” title posthumously after the organization completed an investigation into the evidence for Bobi’s age, Mark McKinley, the director of records at GWR, announced in a statement on Thursday.
“We take tremendous pride in ensuring as best we can the accuracy and integrity of all our record titles,” McKinley’s statement began.
“Following concerns raised by vets and other experts, both privately as well as within public commentary, and the findings of investigations conducted by some media outlets, we felt it important to open a review into Bobi’s record.”
After looking over Bobi’s information, which included the dog’s microchip data and a statement from a veterinarian, GWR was “left with no conclusive evidence which can definitively prove Bobi’s date of birth,” the statement said.
“Without any conclusive evidence available to us right now, we simply can’t retain Bobi as the record holder and honestly claim to maintain the high standards we set ourselves,” the statement concluded.
Bobi’s owner has been informed that their late pet no longer holds the “oldest dog ever” title.
The Associated Press and Forbes also reported the news.
Bobi was said to have been born on May 11, 1992, per the AP. He was a guard dog who lived on a farm in the village of Conqueiros in Portugal with his owner until his death at the reported age of 31.
Bobi was a guard dog.
As previously reported, Bobi’s “oldest dog ever” title was suspended in January after Wired published an investigation into whether Bobi’s age was verified through the Portuguese government’s pet database and the Veterinary Medical Service of the Municipality of Leiria, as GWR had initially said it was.
The database told Wired they weren’t contacted by Guinness World Records to verify the information, according to The Guardian’s report on the matter.
A veterinarian and council member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons told The Guardian that not “a single one” of her colleagues believed Bobi was 31.
Per the outlet, people also noticed that Bobi’s paws were a different color in 1999 compared to more recent photos.
According to CNN, Bobi was a Rafeiro do Alentejo, a working dog breed with a life expectancy of about 12-14 years.
As for when a new “oldest dog ever” title holder will be crowned, McKinley said in his statement Thursday, “It’s going to take a long time for microchip uptake around the world to catch up with pet ownership, especially of older pets.”
He encouraged pet owners to contact GWR, noting that for the title to be bestowed upon a dog, the organization will require “evidence for all years of a pet’s life.” It will also consult veterinarians and microchip data for confirmation.
No dog currently holds the title in Bobi’s place.