'220 Years Old in Human Age' World's Oldest Dog... Reason for Guinness Book Disqualification

Some Experts Raise Concerns Over Bobby's Age
"Biologically Impossible to Live This Long"

The Guinness World Records (GWR) has revoked the title of "world's oldest dog" previously awarded to the Portuguese dog 'Bobby.' On the 22nd (local time), the British daily The Guardian reported that Guinness World Records announced in a statement that there was no evidence to support the owner's claim that Bobby was the oldest dog.

On February 1st of last year, Guinness World Records declared Bobby's age to be 30 years and 266 days, making him the oldest living dog and the oldest dog ever recorded. This broke the record of Bluey, an Australian dog who died at 29 years and 5 months in 1939. Guinness explained at the time that Bobby was born on May 11, 1992, and his age was verified through the Portuguese National Veterinary Association and a pet database approved by the Portuguese government.

Bobby passed away last year at the age of 31 years and 165 days, holding the title of the oldest dog.
[Photo by Guinness World Records]

Bobby passed away eight months later, on October 31 of the same year, at the age of 31 years and 165 days, still holding the title of the oldest dog. Bobby was a Portuguese large livestock dog breed called 'Hafeiro do Alentejo,' whose typical lifespan is usually 12 to 14 years. However, some veterinarians raised doubts about Bobby's age. Consequently, Guinness temporarily suspended Bobby's titles as the oldest living dog and the oldest dog ever last month and launched an official reinvestigation.

Previously, some experts claimed that in a video taken in 1999, the color of Bobby's paws differed from those in the footage from October of last year. It is also known that genetic testing only confirmed that Bobby was old but could not precisely determine his age.

Above all, veterinary experts argued that Bobby's age corresponds to 220 years in human years, and biologically, it is impossible for a dog to live that long. Experts pointed out that although Bobby's age is registered in the current Portuguese national database, this information is usually based on the owner's own verification and is therefore unreliable.