Bobi, the world’s oldest dog, has died after serving for decades.

BobiHe oldest dog in the worlddied at his home in Conqueiros, Portugalaged 31 year. It’s only been a year since Guinness Book of Records recognized his feat. Previously, the oldest dog in the world was Bluey, an Australian cattle dog who died in 1939. 29 years.

Without a doubt, both cases are exceptional and join several others recorded throughout the world. This includes Scream, a female of the same breed as Bluey, believed to have reached 32 years of age. If that were the case, Bobi wouldn’t be the oldest dog in the world. But the truth is that Chilla’s case has never been officially confirmed, so it is impossible to know if it is true.

That leaves Bobi, the man. Rafeiro from Alentejolike the oldest dog. A dog whose human companion, Leonel Costasaid goodbye last Saturday, five months after celebrating his thirtieth birthday at a dance with 100 people in typical Portuguese style.

The long history of the oldest dog in the world

In fact, Bauby’s 31 years of life could have been shortened to just a few days if what was his original purpose had been fulfilled. Born in 1992, there are only four puppies in the litter. The owners of the dog that gave birth to him already had many dogs, so they could not support Bobi and his siblings. so they decided to bury them alive. Unfortunately, this was a very common practice at the time when newborn puppies could not be kept.

Bobi managed to escape and hide behind the forest, where he was found. Leonel and his brotherswho were still children then. They hid him for several days, fearing that his parents would scold them, but eventually agreed to let him stay at home.

Thus began the long life of the oldest dog in the world. He lived his entire life with Leonel, accompanying him through difficult times such as the death of his father or brother. Now Bobi is gone forever. In 2018, he overcame respiratory failure and is now He couldn’t see well and had difficulty walking., but, as far as is possible considering his age, he was not in poor health. This makes Leonel say goodbye a little less sadly, knowing that he was a healthy and happy dog. Although there will always be sadness from saying goodbye to an old friend.

The oldest breeds

The Alentejo Rafeiro, a breed of Portuguese Shepherd, does not have a longevity compared to other breeds. Therefore, the case of the oldest dog in the world should be considered as something exceptional. It is true that Bobi had good genetics since his mother lived up to 18 years old, which significantly exceeds the average life expectancy of dogs. But he has gone far beyond this barrier, and there is no race that can explain it.

As for Bluey and Chilla, one might think that they belong to a particularly long-lived breed, but their cases are also exceptional. Australian Cattle Dogs do not live much longer than other breeds of their size and characteristics. So which dogs have the longest life expectancy?

This question was answered in 2022 by a group of scientists from Royal College of Veterinarians of the United Kingdom. To do this, they analyzed data from 30,563 dogs that died in the UK between 1 January 2016 and 31 July 2020. The average life expectancy of all of them was 11.23 yearsbut it is true that there were differences by race.

For this reason, they compiled a table in which all these dogs were distributed by breed. It shows that the longest living breed is Jack Russell Terrierwith an average life expectancy of 12.7 years, but in some specimens it reaches 19. They are followed by el Yorkshire Terrier, Border Collie, Springer Spaniel and Labrador Retriever.

However, there is something important to take into account: this study was conducted in the United Kingdom. During those years, perhaps not a single Alentejo Rafeiro or Australian Cattle Dog died here. Mainly because they rare breeds outside of Portugal and Australia.

However, we have already seen that the case of the oldest dog in the world, as well as Bluey and Chilla, is clear. exceptions. Unfortunately, dogs often don’t live that many years. Therefore, we must make the most of our time with them and care for them as much as they deserve.