The world’s oldest dog – as determined by Guinness World Records – turned 31 years old on Thursday as his owners reveal the secret to long life.
Bobi, a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, celebrated his birthday with his owners and over 100 party guests at his home in Conqueiros, a rural village in southern Portugal.
Ahead of his party, his owner, Leonel Costa, revealed that the senior dog only eats human food.
Bobi’s family planned a birthday bash to celebrate the dog’s huge milestone birthday on Saturday.
His owners ordered local meats and fish for Bobi and the party guests, some of whom flew internationally to enjoy the festivities.
READ MORE: Man discovers ‘beautiful’ friendship between pups as he follows stray dog
His owner told Guinness that it would be a “very traditional” Portuguese party.
However, over 100 people guests were expected to attend and a dance troupe was set to perform, according to a news release about the party.
Bobi, who only eats human food, has far exceeded the usual 12-14 year life expectancy of his breed, Rafeiro do Alentejos.
Costa said: “Bobi has been a warrior for all these years; only he knows how he’s been holding on, it must not be easy because the average dog’s life span is not that high, and if he spoke, only he could explain this success.
“We are very happy and grateful to life for allowing us, after 30 years, to have Bobi in our daily lives.”
Costa attributed his dog’s longevity in part to the “calm, peaceful environment” where he lives.
Born in May 1992, on his family’s farm, Bobi earned his coveted titles in February, just days after another dog Spike, 23, was awarded the oldest dog prize.
Guinness World Records then heard about Bobi, who at the time was a whole seven years older than Spike.
The elderly pooch was then awarded the ‘World’s Oldest Living Dog’ and the ‘World’s Oldest Dog Ever’ titles, and secured a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Costa told Guinness that Bobi had been enjoying a lot of attention since being crowned the impressive title.
“We’ve had a lot of journalists and people come from all over the world to take a picture with Bobi,” Costa, 38, said: “They’ve come from all over Europe, as well as the USA and even Japan.”
The pooch remains in good health despite the owner’s concerns that his newfound fame could cause some stress.
Costa said: “There were a lot of pictures taken, and he had to get up and down many times. It wasn’t easy for him.”
Bobi replaced his predecessor Bluey as the record holder for the Oldest Dog Ever. Bluey, an Australian cattle dog, died at 29 years and five months in November 1939.
Costa revealed that Bobi did have a health scare in 2018, but he emerged from the ordeal in good health and today, he suffers somewhat with his eyesight and has some mobility issues that have come with age, but nothing too serious.
Follow our social media accounts here on facebook.com/ExpressUSNews
