World's Oldest Dog Has Died Just Months After His Birthday

Reuters

The 31-year-old dog who held the record for the oldest dog in the world passed away a few months after his birthday.

In February, the Guinness World Records recognized Bobi as the oldest dog ever.

May 11, 1992, was his birthdate.

Bobi lived more than twice as long as the Portuguese farm dog, the Rafeiro do Alentejo, which has a lifespan of 12 to 14 years.

Reuters

The dog's death over the weekend was confirmed by veterinarian Dr. Karen Becker, who stated: "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.”

"Godspeed, Bobi ... you've taught the world all you were meant to teach."

At his birthday celebration in the community of Conqueiros, where he hosted 100 friends and fans from throughout the globe, Bobi celebrated his 31st birthday in May as no pup has ever celebrated before.

Reuters

Owner Leonel Costa stated the following as Bobi broke the record for being the oldest down in the world: "Looking at him is like remembering the people who were part of our family and unfortunately are no longer here, like my father, my brother or my grandparents who have already left this world.”

"Bobi represents those generations."

This fine old boy came from a long line of canines. Unlike the Rafeiro do Alentejo, who typically live about 12 years, his mother Gira lived to be a ripe eighteen, while another of their canines, Chicote, survived to be twenty-two.

Bobi's story is miraculous, even beyond the extraordinary age at which he attained.

Reuters

In 1992, the Costa family's outbuilding gave birth to him as one of four male puppies.

"My father was a hunter, and we always had many dogs," Costa told Guinness.

However, his father concluded that they could not keep the puppies because of the quantity of animals they already had.

“Unfortunately, at that time it was considered normal to bury the animals in a hole so that they would not survive,” he explained.

When Gira, the mother of the puppies, wasn't around, Costa's parents took them the day after they were born.

Over the next few days, he and his brothers saw Gira regularly going to the outbuilding where her babies were born.

After deciding to follow Gira one day, they found Bobi, who had unintentionally fallen behind.

Bobi, the world's oldest dog, has indeed taught us all much more than we could have ever anticipated, and his legacy will continue to inspire and warm the hearts of all who hear his incredible tale.