Guinness retracts 'world's oldest dog' title from late Portuguese dog after investigation

WASHINGTON (TND) — The 'world's oldest dog title' has been revoked by Guinness World Records (GWR) for a Portuguese canine that passed last year.

GWR started conducting a review in January and said Thursday it "no longer has the evidence it needs to support Bobi’s claim as the record holder."

The 31-year-old dog, Bobi, lived on a farm in the rural village of Conqueiros in Portugal with his owner and received the title last February. He was a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, a livestock guardian dog breed.

An investigation was opened following concerns raised by vets and other experts.

"We take tremendous pride in ensuring as best we can the accuracy and integrity of all our record titles," GWR's Director of Records, Mark McKinley said.

McKinley added that GWR requires evidence for all titles they monitor and a minimum of two statements from witnesses and subject experts.

Pictures, video and data provided by technology relevant to the achievement are also considered.

A lack of evidence from Bobi's microchip data provided GWR with no conclusive evidence of his date of birth.

Central to Bobi’s evidence was microchip data sourced from the Portuguese government database, the SIAC, which it transpires, when chipped in 2022, did not require proof of age for dogs born before 2008," McKinley said. "With the additional veterinary statement provided as evidence for Bobi’s age also citing this microchip data, we’re left with no conclusive evidence which can definitively prove Bobi’s date of birth.

GWR said Bobi's owner was made aware of the new findings.

According to McKinley, GWR is "not yet in a position to confirm a new holder for the record."

"Until that time, we'll require documentary evidence for all years of a pet’s life, we'll continue to ask for vet and witness statements and we’ll also consider microchip data as well where available," he said.

Spike, a Chihuahua mix from Camden, Ohio, previously claimed the record for the world's oldest living dog on December 7, 2022. He was 23 years and 43 days old.