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Guinness World Records officially strips Bobi off of his ‘Oldest Dog Ever’ title after concluding its review of the dog’s age, four months after the pooch passed away.
On February 22, Guinness World Records shared a statement saying, “The review, conducted according to GWR’s review and appeals process, has concluded that GWR no longer has the evidence it needs to support Bobi’s claim as the record holder.”
Bobi, a 31-year old purebred livestock guardian dog from Portugal, was crowned as the ‘Oldest Dog Ever’ on February 2023. He was reportedly born on May 11, 1992 and crossed the rainbow bridge last October 2023.
On January 2024, GWR suspended Bobi’s title and conducted a review to verify his age, after speculations were raised by veterinarians and other experts.
Mark McKinley, Director of Records at GWR, who conducted the review, said, “We take tremendous pride in ensuring as best we can the accuracy and integrity of all our record titles.”
“Following concerns raised by vets and other experts, both privately as well as within public commentary, and the findings of investigations conducted by some media outlets, we felt it important to open a review into Bobi’s record,” he continued.
McKinley further explained that they require evidence for all their GWR titles and that a minimum of two statements from witnesses and subject experts, photos, videos, and other data are checked for these titles.
The data that McKinley mentioned can be, “GPS data for a journey record, timing-gate data for a speed record, or where available; microchip data to prove the age of a pet.”
McKinley reveals that Bobi’s microchip data didn’t provide them with ‘conclusive data’ that they needed to retain Bobi’s record.
“Central to Bobi’s evidence was microchip data sourced from the Portuguese government database, the SIAC, which it transpires, when chipped in 2022, did not require proof of age for dogs born before 2008,” McKinley explained.
“With the additional veterinary statement provided as evidence for Bobi’s age also citing this microchip data, we’re left with no conclusive evidence which can definitively prove Bobi’s date of birth.”
While Bobi has been posthumously stripped off the title, GWS said they’re open to assessing any new evidence proving Bobi’s age.
McKinley said, “Of course, as with any record, we’ll gladly assess any new evidence should we receive any.”
Talking about a new record holder taking Bobi’s place, McKinley explained, “It’s going to take a long time for microchip uptake around the world to catch up with pet ownership, especially of older pets.”
However, until that time comes, McKinley said they’ll require documentary evidence for all years of a pet’s life and statements from both the vet and witnesses.
While Bobi’s owner was made aware of the current findings, Newsday reports that Bobi’s owner defended the title in an emailed statement in January, saying that GWS had spent a year checking Bobi’s record claim.
