The oldest person ever recorded was the Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment: she lived to the age of 122 years and 164 days. But what about our furry friends? How old was the oldest dog in the world?
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An Australian Cattle Dog named Bluey is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the “oldest dog of all time” (stock image).
The lifespan of our domestic dogs is generally given as between 10 and 15 years. On average, a dog lives to around 12.5 years. According to a British study, various factors such as the breed, the animal’s size and the shape of its head influence its life expectancy.
The findings show that small breeds generally have a better chance of reaching a great age than their taller counterparts. However, this does not apply to breeds with an extremely short muzzle, such as the French Bulldog or the Pug. According to the research results, they die comparatively young, at just 9.8 and 11.6 years respectively.
The British study named the Lancashire Heeler and the Tibetan Spaniel as particularly long-lived breeds: these small breeds live to over 15 years on average.
But aside from such averages, there are of course always individual dogs that reach a significantly greater age. How old was the oldest dog of all time? And how old is the oldest dog still alive? We explore these questions below.
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Bobi, a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, made headlines some time ago. The livestock guardian dog died in Portugal in October 2023 at the (alleged) age of 31 years and 165 days. At the time, he was considered the oldest dog ever and was entered into the Guinness World Records.
However, after his death, doubts about Bobi’s true age began to grow. When the male dog was microchipped in 2022, no official proof of age was required for dogs born before 2008.
It therefore could not be conclusively proven that Bobi was actually born on 11 May 1992, as his owner claimed. As a result, Bobi was posthumously stripped of the title “oldest dog ever”.
The experts at Guinness World Records therefore take a very close look when it comes to verifying a four-legged friend’s true age. The owner of the Australian Kelpie bitch Maggie experienced this first-hand.
Maggie passed away in 2016 at the biblical age of (presumably) 30. However, her owner was unable to provide an official birth certificate, which meant she was denied an entry in the Guinness World Records. If her age was indeed correct, Maggie would have been around 200 in human years.
To this day, the Australian Cattle Dog Bluey holds the title of “oldest dog ever”. When he died in 1939, he was an incredible 29 years and 5 months old. Following Bobi’s disqualification, Bluey is once again the official record holder and is listed in the Guinness World Records.
One of the oldest dogs currently alive is certainly Chihuahua TobyKeith. He was born on 9 January 2001 and is therefore a proud 23 years old.
The little male dog lives with his owner in Florida and can celebrate being listed as the “oldest living dog” in the Guinness World Records. On Instagram, dog lovers can follow TobyKeith’s adventures.
Of course, there are also dogs in Germany that reach an unusually great age. Take Max from Duisburg, for example: the Papillon crossbreed was born in Spain on 22 October 1999 – as stated in his handwritten vaccination record.
And Seven, a female herding dog cross from Usenborn in southern Hesse, is also an impressive age. She recently celebrated her 19th birthday with a sausage cake. Seven’s vet told the Frankfurter Neue Presse: “19 years is truly unusual for a dog of this size. In my many years of practice, I’ve never come across a large dog that has lived this long.”
"A life without a pug is possible, but pointless," Loriot once said. I would unreservedly agree and add: "A life without horse, cat and rabbit as well!" My heart beats for all animals big and small and I have the great fortune to be able to write about my passion as a freelance author. With my articles I would like to raise awareness for animal welfare and give useful tips to animal lovers.
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