Take a bow-wow! Meet Bobi, the world's oldest dog on record
By Catarina Demony and Miguel Pereira
CONQUEIROS, Portugal, Feb 4 (Reuters) -When his dog was born three decades ago in a tiny village in central Portugal, Leonel Costa was only eight years old. Little did he know that his beloved Bobi would one day be recorded as the world's oldest dog.
When Bobi, a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, celebrated its 30th birthday last year, Costa knew he had broken an almost century-old record held by an Australian cattle-dog that died at 29 years and five months in 1939.
Costa got in touch with the Guinness World of Records, submitted all the paperwork and a year later Bobi was officially named the oldest dog on record.
Bobi was 30 years and 269 days old as of Feb. 4.
"It's a feeling of pride we can't explain," Costa, 38, told Reuters as he petted Bobi near a church in the village of Conqueiros in central Portugal.
"Some people told us we wouldn't make it... but we knew Bobi's age and were sure the exams would only prove what we already knew."
The Guinness World of Records, which made the announcement on Thursday, described Bobi's story as "miraculous".
At the time Bobi was born, Costa's family had many animals and little money so his father, a hunter, generally buried newborn puppies rather than keep them. But Bobi hid among a pile of firewood. Costa and his siblings found it a few days later and kept it a secret until the puppy opened its eyes.
"We knew that when he opened his eyes, my parents wouldn't be able to bury him, " he said.
Bobi's breed usually has a life expectancy of 12 to 14 years and Costa attributed its longevity to a number of factors, including living in calm countryside, never having been chained or kept on a leash and always eating "human food".
"Of course our love and affection throughout his life has also helped," he said, giggling.
Although Bobi still loves walks, age is taking its toll: the dog is less adventurous, its fur is thinning, its eyesight has worsened and it needs to rest more than it used to.
Costa hopes Bobi has many more years of life and is thankful the dog has put the remote village of Conqueiros on the map.
"There were other animals here who lived long lives but Bobi surpassed everything."
Reporting by Catarina Demony and Miguel Pereira in Conqueiros
Editing by Frances Kerry
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
