“We did not expect such a welcome!” said Leonel Costa, its 38-year-old owner, surprised. For several days, onlookers and journalists from all over the world have been coming to meet their pet.
The dog, brown-haired and very sociable, weighs 29 kilos. He lives surrounded by cats in a house in Conqueiros, a small town near Leiria, in the center of the country.
The organization of Guinnesswhich collects records worldwide, made the announcement on February 1.
On that day, the dog was 30 years and 266 days old, making him the longest-lived dog of all time.
Bobi is a purebred Rafeirowith an average life expectancy of between 12 and 14 years, recalls Guinness.
“He wanted his age to be recognized,” Leonel Costa confided to AFP. The dog was the only one of four pups to survive.
Costa explains his dog’s longevity by the calm environment in which he lives and the “varied diet” he receives at home, based on “meat and fish.”
“He always ate what we eat,” he stressed.
Bobi’s record, however, raises many questions.
“I can’t say it’s impossible, but it’s curious,” because the images released don’t seem to show the signs of a very old dog, such as “mobility problems” or “muscular mass,” Miguel Figueiredo, a veterinarian from the Joao XXI clinic in Lisbon.