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A 30-year-old Portuguese dog has broken the Guinness world record for the oldest dog in the world, which has stood for almost a century, "Ofnews" writes.
Bobby is a purebred Rafeiro de Alentejo.
The average lifespan of this breed varies between 12 and 14 years.
However, its outstanding representative is 30 years and 226 days old as of February 1 and "does well for his age," the BBC notes.
It is verified by the Portuguese Government Pet Database, which is managed by the National Union of Veterinarians.
Bobby breaks the record of the Australian dog Bluey who died aged 29 years and 5 months in 1939. Bobby was a country dog.
All his life he lived with the Costa family in the village of Conqueiros, which is located near the west coast of Portugal.
He was born in an outbuilding with three other puppies.
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At that time, Leonel Costa was 8 years old.
His parents were supposed to take in the newborn puppies, but after caring for too many of their animals, Bobby escaped.
Lionel and his brothers manage to find him and so Bobby becomes part of the family, even eating their food.
If he has to choose between canned dog food and human meat, he doesn't hesitate.
Today, Costa credits Bobby's longevity to the calm, peaceful environment in which he lives.
He was admitted to hospital only once, in 2018. Bobby's mother also lived long compared to the standard for the breed - up to the age of 18.
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Despite his longevity, Bobby already has some problems - with walking, with vision.
Costa says Bobby is "the last of a long line of animals" in the Costa family and describes him as "one of a kind".
His announcement as the oldest dog in history came just two weeks after Guinness World Records announced another dog, Spike the Chihuahua, as the oldest living dog at 23 years old.
Subsequently, Guinness updated its records and declared Bobby both the oldest living dog and the oldest dog in history.
Guinness record
dog