Bobi, the world’s oldest known dog ever, passed away last week at an animal hospital in Portugal, Guinness World Records announced Monday.
“Bobi lived to be 31 years 165 days old and spent his entire life with his loving owner Leonel Costa and his family in the Portuguese village of Conqueiros,” the record-keeping company said in a news release.
Bobi was recognized as the oldest dog ever known in February, just two weeks after a 23-year-old Chihuahua named Spike tried to claim the title. His death leaves Ohio-born Spike as the oldest known living dog.
In dog years, Bobi was roughly 86 years old. He was a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, a Portuguese breed of farm and guardian dog with a life expectancy of 12 to 14 years.
His age was confirmed by his 1992 registration with a veterinary medical service in Leiria, Portugal, and with a Portuguese government-owned pet database, Guinness said.
Bobi was born in a litter of four puppies; the three others were put down by owner Leonel Costa’s parents because the farm already had too many animals.
“At that time it was considered normal by older people … to bury the animals in a hole so that they would not survive,” Leonel said in an interview with Guinness.
Costa said he hid Bobi from his parents after he discovered that the dog had escaped his siblings’ fate by hiding in a stack of wood. When Costa’s parents found out, it was too late to put Bobi down.
Costa said Bobi was never tied up or leashed, drank plenty of water and ate human food exclusively. Costa attributed Bobi’s old age to his “calm, peaceful” life.
On Bobi’s 31st birthday, in May, his owner threw him a traditional Portuguese birthday party, attended by more than 100 guests, Guinness said.
Second Chance for a Pit Bull: Rescued from a Massive Tumor, Now Thriving
Animal shelters do incredible work giving pets a second chance. Some animals arrive at shelters in shocking condition, but they still step up to give them the love and care they need.
That was the case for a dog named Libby, who had a tumor the size of a volleyball. But now, her story has a happy ending.
In August, the Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County, in Washington state, took in a stray pit bull named Libby. They said the dog was “full of life” and had a “sweet face and kind eyes.”
However, Libby also had a serious medical concern: a 10-pound tumor the size of a volleyball, one of the largest masses they had ever seen:
Libby arrived at a hectic time for the shelter: HSTPC says Libby was just one of three urgent cases they responded to in 48 hours, and as Washington’s largest-intake shelter dozens of new animals were arriving every day.
Despite that, they resolved to give Libby the best possible care, even though they weren’t sure what the future had in store for the poor dog.
“She deserves the most compassionate care possible, but we don’t know what her outcome will be at this time,” the shelter wrote in August. “Our veterinary team is working on every possible option and will start with testing to understand what kind of tumor Libby has. For now, she is receiving pain medication to ease her discomfort and endless love from our staff.”
After giving Libby an x-ray, they discovered the tumor was in the bone of her upper right leg, and would require amputation. Reactive inflammation caused the tumor to swell to its unusual size, and was causing her agonizing pain.
Through generous donations from supporters, the shelter was able to pay for Libby’s leg amputation. The surgery, done by the vet staff at BluePearl Pet Hospital, was a success and Libby was finally free of the pain she had been living through.
Sadly, even though her tumor was gone, she was diagnosed with aggressive bone cancer, and her time on earth might be limited. But in happy news, Libby has found a home!
According to HSTPC, a vet tech fell in love with Libby and agreed to adopt her. Even though she knows that Libby might not live long, she wanted to fill her remaining days with love.
“There’s something in her eyes that begs for love and safety,” her new adopter said, according to a Facebook post. “I couldn’t turn away from that.”
Libby has now been renamed “Wiggles” and is enjoying her new home, playing with her dog brother and family and taking lots of cozy naps on the couch.
“Though we’re uncertain how much time she has left, we know she’ll spend her remaining days
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