Bobi the dog had a simple life. To some, a pretty enviable life. Walk, eat, sleep, sleep some more, get some head scratches, sleep. Repeat.
Not many people in life can say they got to spend some three decades with their furry companion, let alone one crowned the world’s oldest living dog of all time by the Guinness World Records this year.
But earlier this month, only five months after celebrating his 31st birthday, the Rafeiro do Alentejo who spent his life on a Portuguese farm passed away.
Bobi was rushed to hospital last week, owner Leonel Costa, 38, told the Portuguese cable news network SIC Notícias.
Costa said: ‘It was a tough fight and only a warrior like him could have lasted that long.’
‘The best memories remain of a long life where he was happy and, above all, made many people happy, especially his family who today feel that one of their pillars has collapsed,’ she added.
Le Terrier Studio, a pet photography studio in Amadora, northwest Lisbon, paid tribute to Bobi on Facebook yesterday evening.
Sharing photographs of the canine posing with his framed world record, the studio said: ‘Rest in peace, my friend!
‘Thank you for having the privilege of meeting you, the oldest dog in the world. What an amazing life you have had.’
Dr Karen Becker, an American veterinarian, paid tribute to the pup on Instagram.
‘Despite outliving every dog in history, his 11,478 days on earth would never be enough for those who loved him,’ she said.
‘When we asked Leonel what his recipe was for Bobi’s exceptionally long life, his response was swift: “Good nutrition, constant contact with nature, freedom to discover his environment, consistent veterinary care, and love. Bobi knows he’s deeply loved.”’
Born on 11 May 1992 in Conqueiros, a rural Portuguese village, Bobi came close to never getting his shot at becoming a senior canine citizen.
Bobi’s owner, Leonel Costa, told GWR how he was just eight years old when the dog’s litter was born in a woodshed – his father, a hunter, however, felt Bobi and his three brothers were a few puppies too many.
‘Unfortunately, at that time it was considered normal by older people who could not have more animals at home… to bury the animals in a hole so that they would not survive,’ he said.
Between their grief, Costa and his brothers noticed that Gira, the mother dog, would venture back into the woodshed despite her having no puppies.
Hidden in a pile of logs was Bobi. His honey-coloured fur allowed him to camouflage in the wood.
The children kept the dog a secret from their parents until Bobi could just about open his eyes.
And Bobi had some serious puppy dog eyes, even three decades on.
He was as fussy – only eating human food like local cured meats – as he was sociable, having grown up surrounded by other animals, his family said.
Bobi is a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, a breed of Portuguese dog trained to guard livestock that live about 12 years.
He smashed the world records of not only the world’s oldest dog but the oldest dog of all time on February 1, just two weeks after Spike the Chihuahua, 23 got into the record book.
Guinness’ board in London would have needed a raft of proof to verify Bobi’s age, from a veterinarian statement to pictures and videos of him ageing through the years.
His age was said to be verified by his vet and a pet database authorised by the Portuguese government.
A long life seems to run in his family. Bobi’s mum, Gira, lived to the ripe old age of 18, while another of the family’s dogs, Chicote, made it to the age of 22.
On his 31st birthday, friends, locals, journalists and international veterinarians gathered to see Bobi, wearing a gold and black birthday hat, be called a good birthday boy.
Around him, balloons spelling ‘Bobi 31’, several tiny sculptures of Bobi, two framed certificates from Guinness World Records and a birthday cake printed with a picture of Bobi.
Among the attendees was Metro.co.uk’s own Craig Munro. He wrote how he watched party-goers stand in the courtyard of the family home hold hands, sing folk tunes and celebrate Bobi’s life.
‘And in the centre of it all, the oldest dog in history watched the legs going past him again and again,’ Munro wrote, ‘looking as if he would be happy for it to go on forever.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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