Mystery as 'World's Oldest Dog' stripped of title as Guinness World Records launches investigation
16 January 2024, 15:50
The world's oldest dog has lost his title after an investigation was launched into the legitimacy of his age.
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Bobi, who lived in Portugal, was said to have been 30 years and 268 days when he was named the world's oldest by Guinness World Records last February.
The dog, who lived in Portugal, died at the reported age of 31 years and 163 days in October last year.
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But doubts have now been raised over whether he really was the oldest canine ever - despite his birth apparently being confirmed by the Portuguese government's pet database and the National Union of Veterinarians.
Sceptics have asked why photos purportedly of Bobi in his youth would show him with white paws when they were brown in his later years, The Times reported.
Guinness World Records has said it is withdrawing his title until an investigation is completed.
A spokeswoman said: "While our review is ongoing we have decided to temporarily pause both the record titles for 'oldest dog living' and 'oldest dog ever' - just until all of our findings are in place." The publication said it appeared his grand old age may have instead been due to slack fact-checking.
An investigation by Wired magazine found Bobi had only been registered on the Portuguese government's pet database in 2022, a year before he died.
At the time, Bobi's owner had declared the canine had been born in 1992, but an official for the database stated it had "no registration or data that can confirm or deny this statement", Wired reported.
Now, the title for the world's oldest dog could now fall at the paws of a 24-year-old Chihuahua named Spike, from Ohio. Spike had previously held the crown 12 months ago when he was 23, before Bobi pipped him to it.
For Spike's initial verification, his owner Rita Kimball provided Guinness World Records with vet records and bills that placed his date of birth in 1999 as well as photos of him through the years.
However she said she had not had him since he was a puppy and she found him in 2009 in a car park.
