Saturday was a heartbreaking day for the Costa family and the people of Portugal as the country’s furriest celebrity took his final bark. Bobi, the purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, passed away at the age of 31 years and 165 days within the comfort of his home in the town of Conqueiros.
According to the American Kennel Club, the average life expectancy of a Rafeiro do Alentejo is 12 to 14 years.
At the time of his death, Bobi held two world records: the world’s oldest dog and the oldest dog to ever live. He took the latter title from an Australian Cattle Dog named Bluey, who lived up to 1939 to the age of 29 years and five months.
Bobi celebrated his recording-breaking birthday with a party in May that had more than 100 guests. Bobi was presented with these titles back in February by the Guinness World Records, who confirmed his age through a veterinary and government-owned pet database in Portugal.
The Costa family’s mourning of the death of their beloved Bobi is something that any pet owner who lost a furry friend can sympathize with. One pet owner who knows this pain is Dehlia Drennon, who lost her dog Tucker while growing up.
“It hits you harder than you would think, because they are part of your family,” Drennon said. “There is definitely a grieving process for anyone that is connected to them.”
Losing a pet may be tough for any owner at first, but in some cases, it may be for the better. Mykalah King experienced this with her dog “Jack,” who battled cancer for many years before giving into his illness. Though it was a very sad moment for King, she is happy that Jack is in a better place.
“It was really sad because of the cancer,” King said. “It was a long time coming, so I guess it was bittersweet.”
Although losing a pet may seem like the end of the world to most pet owners, it is important to focus on the good memories with furry friends.
“Dogs really are so in the moment that they do not even resist death,” Drennon said. “Our dog kind of knew that he was going and he had made his own little goodbyes. So just trusting that your dog is with you every day, they are even somehow supporting you in death, and that is a helpful way to look at it and process it.”
Pet owners said sometimes, getting a new pet is also helpful for healing. “With time, getting a new pet helps soothe the sadness,” said pet owner Piergiuseppe Di Michele.
Since losing Tucker, Drennon added a new member to her family, a 3-year-old dog named Navy, who has quickly become the light of her life. Even though death is a long way away for Navy, Drennon tries her best to enjoy every second with her new best friend.
“It is very hard not to be in the moment with her, because she loves to play,” Drennon said. “We go on daily walks, we play ball like four times a day, so she is such an integral part in our lives at this point that almost every moment involves her in some way.”
While dogs never live as long as owners would like them to, it is important to treasure all the time possible with pets.
“Enjoy them as much as you can while you have them,” King said.