Claims swirl around genuine age of ‘world’s oldest dog’

Guinness World Records is investigating claims the “world's oldest dog” didn't really live to the old age his owner claimed.

Bobi the Portuguese mastiff, aged 31, died last week. He was more than 217 years old in dog years – or was he?

Danny Chambers, a senior vet in the UK, is clear on what he believes. Chambers told the Guardian: “Not a single one of my veterinary colleagues believe Bobi was actually 31 years old.”

“This is the equivalent of a human to living to over 200 years old which, given our current medical capabilities, is completely implausible.

“Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and no concrete evidence has been provided to prove his age,” he said.

“We are a science-based profession, so for the Guinness Book of Records to maintain their credibility and authority in the eyes of the veterinary profession, they really need to publish some irrefutable evidence.”

Pictures of Bobi from the past have drawn intense online scrutiny amid the mystery – and, while Bobi's age is registered on Portugal's national pet database, that database is ordinarily only based on the owner's word.

A Guinness World Records spokesperson said it was looking into questions around Bobi's true age.