Bobi, a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo – a breed with an average life expectancy of 12 to 14 years – has lived his entire life with his humans, the Costas, in Conqueiros, a rural village in Leiria, Portugal.

At 30 (human) years and 266 days old as of Feb 1, Bobi has the unparalleled distinction of being named the oldest dog in recorded history.

The previous oldest dog ever was Australia’s Bluey, who died in 1939 at the age of 29 years and five months.

Guinness’ announcement came two weeks after the records organisation declared Spike, a 23-year-old chihuahua mix from Ohio, as the world’s oldest living dog, surpassing Pebbles, who died in October at age 22.

In 1992 Bobi was registered with the Veterinary Medical Service of the Municipality of Leiria, who confirmed his birth date. His age has also been verified by SIAC, a pet database authorised by the Portuguese government.

Despite Bobi’s awe-inspiring durability, his story begins on a rocky note: he was born as one of four males in an outbuilding where the Costa family stored wood.

Leonal Costa, 38, recalls that his father had not wanted to keep the newborn pups, owing to the number of animals they already owned.

“At the time, unfortunately, it was considered normal by older people who could not keep more animals to bury them in a hole so they would not survive,” Leonel explained.

When the puppies’ mother wasn’t around, Leonel’s parents took the pup but did not realise they’d left one behind. Leonel and his brothers later found baby Bobi in the outhouse where he had been born.

As it usually takes one to two weeks for newborn puppies to open their eyes, the siblings decided to hide Bobi from their parents. “We knew once he opened his eyes, our parents would not bury him,” he explained.

‘Calm, peaceful environment’

Leonel believes one of the biggest contributing factors to his longevity is the “calm, peaceful environment” Bobi lives in, “far from the cities”.

Bobi has never been chained or attached to a leash, and has always enjoyed free roam of the forests and farmland surrounding the Costa home.

Leonel describes Bobi as “very sociable” as he grew up with many other animals. The senior dog is less adventurous now as walking is difficult, so he mostly spends time hanging out in the backyard with his four feline friends.

He also rests more than he used to, and likes to lie in bed after meals, or relax by the fire on colder days.

Bobi’s sight has worsened, too – Leonel said he often notices him colliding into things when he walks.

When it comes to meals, “what we ate, they ate, too”, Leonel shared. He believes this, too, has contributed to Bobi’s exceedingly long life.

“Between a can of animal food or a piece of meat, Bobi doesn’t hesitate and chooses our food,” he laughed, adding that he always soaks the food in water before serving it to his pets to remove most of the seasonings.

Healthwise, Bobi has enjoyed a relatively stress-free life, although he gave the family “one big scare” in 2018 when he collapsed with breathing difficulties and had to be hospitalised. Fortunately, and obviously, Bobi pulled through.

‘Living reminder’

When Leonel sent in an application for Bobi’s title as the oldest living dog, he did not realise Bobi would also be the oldest ever.

“Our animals have always lasted for many years,” he said, explaining that Bobi’s mum Gira had lived to 18, and another of the family pooches, Chicote, reached age 22.

Bobi is the “last of a long generation of animals” in the Costa family and, for Leonel, a living reminder of times gone by and of loved ones he’s lost over the years.

“Bobi is special because 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.”