[IN IMAGES] Bobi, 30, crowned the oldest dog in the world

“We did not expect such a welcome!” is still surprised Leonel Costa, its 38-year-old owner, who for several days has been visiting curious people and interviewing the media from all over the world.

This pet, with brown hair, is very sociable , weighing 29 kilos, lives surrounded by cats in a house in Conqueiros, a small village near Leiria, in the center of the country. 

The peaceful life of Bobi has been turned upside down since the announcement February from Guinness, which lists world records.

The oldest dog was 30 years and 266 days old when his longevity was approved on February 1, becoming the oldest dog of all time.

The rafeiro is a breed of dog which normally has a life expectancy of 12 to 14 years on average, reminds Guinness.

“I wanted his age to be recognized”, confides to AFP Leonel Costa, aged barely 8 years old when Bobi, the only one of four puppies to have been saved at birth, entered the family.

After a long process during which he had to provide “photos, veterinary reports” or even “test results”, the favorable decision of Guinness finally fell. 

Asked about the secret of this exceptional longevity, Leonel Costa explains it above all by the peaceful environment in which Bobi lives and the “varied diet” prepared at home, based on “meat and fish”.

“He has always eaten what we eat”, he underlines.

Bobi's record nevertheless raises many questions.

“I cannot say that it 'is impossible, but it's curious', because according to the images broadcast, he does not seem to show the signs of a very old dog, such as 'problems of mobility' or at the level of 'muscle mass', explains to AFP Miguel Figueiredo, veterinarian at the Joao XXI clinic in Lisbon.

He is particularly concerned “about the misconception about the life expectancy of a dog, which could pass s of the general public”. “We should not give false hopes!” he warns.