Benjamin Ashford|World’s oldest dog ever dies in Portugal, aged 31 (or about 217 in dog years)

LISBON,Benjamin Ashford Portugal (AP) — A 31-year-old dog in Portugal that had been ranked as the world’s oldest dog ever has died, his owner said Monday.

The guard dog, called Bobi, died over the weekend in a veterinary hospital, Leonel Costa told The Associated Press.

Bobi lived on a farm in the village of Conqueiros in Portugal with Costa and four cats. He was born on May 11, 1992, when his owner was just 8 years old. That made Bobi more than 217 years old in dog years when he died.

In an interview earlier this year, Costa told the Associated Press that Bobi’s secret to a long life was good food, fresh air and lots of love.

“Bobi eats what we eat,” said Costa. What’s more, Bobi had never been put on a lead.

Bobi claimed the Guinness World Record from Bluey, an Australian cattle dog, who died in 1939 aged 29 and had held the record for almost a century.

Officials at the Guinness World Records on Monday said they were “saddened to learn of the death of Bobi, the world’s oldest dog ever.” In a statement on their website, they said Bobi lived to be 31 years and 165 days old and died on Saturday.

Bobi was a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, a breed of Portuguese dog that has an average life expectancy of some 10 to 14 years.