THE world's oldest dog has lost his title after an investigation was launched into the legitimacy of his age.
Much-loved Bobi, a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, claimed his Guinness World Records crown at the age of 30 years and 268 days in February 2023.
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The canine, who lived in Portugal, sadly died at the reported age of 31 years and 163 days in October last year.
But in the aftermath of his death, there have been issues raised with whether he really was the oldest canine ever.
Eagle-eyed viewers have noticed that Bobi's paws in old photos were white, whereas they were brown when he died.
As a result, questions have been raised as to whether the old photos are legitimate, leading Guinness World Records to withdraw Bobi's title until an investigation is completed.
“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,” a spokeswoman told The Times.
His birth was apparently confirmed by the Portuguese government's pet database.
But an investigation from Wired magazine found that Bobi had only been registered in 2022 – a year before he died.
While Bobi's owner, Leonel Costa, declared he had been born in 1992, an official for the Portuguese government's pet database said he didn't have the paperwork to prove it, Wired reported.
As a result of the potential scandal, 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.
But Spike's owner, Rita Kimball, had previously provided legitimate vet records and bills to Guiness World Records.
They show the dog to have been born in 1999, while photos also show him ageing throughout his life.
But Kimball admits that she hasn't owned Spike since birth, having discovered him in a car park in 2009.
A trip to the vet, however, confirmed his age to be about ten-years-old.
A Guinness World Records representative has since informed Kimball that they are “reviewing how we verify animal age records at the moment.”
Kimball was also recommended to take Spike to a second vet for further assessment and confirmation of his age, according to Wired.
“It's likely many of our record categories will require a second opinion for verification in the future,” the representative said.
Last year, a moggie taken in as a rescue kitten in 1991 was crowned the UK's oldest living cat.
Rosie, a fluffy-tailed tortoise-shell, celebrated her 32nd birthday on June 1.
Elsewhere, a dog gamer is set to make his debut at gaming’s biggest charity event.
Peanut Butter will be the first dog that will be running a game at Games Done Quick, playing together with his owner James using his special controller.
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