By Patricia Lanzagarita
BOBI, the world’s oldest dog from Portugal, crossed the rainbow bridge last October 20 after living for 31 years and 165 days.
Dr. Karen Becker, the veterinarian of the dog, confirmed its death by releasing a statement on Facebook.
“Last night, this sweet boy earned his wings. Despite outliving every dog in history, his 11,478 days on earth would never be enough, for those who loved him,” she said.
Bobi was born in 1992 in the family of Leonel Costa in the village of Conqueiros, Portugal. According to Leonel, Bobi was born within a group of four puppies. During that time, his father decided not to keep the dogs as they already owned a lot of animals.
“Unfortunately, at that time it was considered normal by older people to bury the animals in a hole so that they would not survive,” he stated.
Fortunately, when his parents took the puppies, Bobi was left behind as it was hidden under the pile of wood. Leonel and his brothers soon found the puppy and hid its existence from their parents. When their parents discovered Bobi, it was too late to get rid of it and so, the dog became a part of their family.
Leonel owned several old-age dogs in the past such as Gira, Bobi’s mother, aged 18, and his other dog Chicote who died at the age of 22.
“We see situations like this as a normal result of the life that they have, but Bobi is one of a kind,” Leonel added.
He said that the secret to Bobi’s long life is the ‘calm and peaceful’ environment that the dog lived in. The dog’s diet also contributed to it as the owner only prepares human food for Bobi. He stressed that he initially soaked the food in water to remove the seasonings before giving it to the dog.
Furthermore, Bobi also enjoys roaming freely around the house as the owner never leashed, tied, or chained him up.
Bobi celebrated his last and 31st birthday with 100 people from around the globe.
Run free, Bobi.
Source: Guinness World Records (https://bit.ly/47308op)
(ai/mnm)