Living in a nation where incredibly, and suddenly average life expectancy of Generation X has actually decreased makes one long for a healthier lifestyle. In the human race, we rarely see anyone make it to 120, much less, 164?
Yet if we do the math as recommended by the American Veterinary Medical Association, that is essentially what we come up with for one remarkable pooch!
- 15 human years equals the first year of a medium-sized dog’s life.
- Year two for a dog equals about nine years for a human.
- And after that, each human year would be approximately five years for a dog.
But who is this special poochie, and exactly how did he do it?
Guinness World Records verified Bobi’s age and officially proclaimed him the World’s Oldest Living Dog and the World’s Oldest Dog Ever. Bobi, who is 30 years and 267 days old as of Feb. 2, according to Guinness World Records, is a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, a breed with a life expectancy of 12-14 years. The senior canine lives in Portugal with the Costa family.
“Bobi has been a warrior for all these years; only he knows how he’s been holding on, it must not be easy because the average dog’s life span is not that high, and if he spoke, only he could explain this success,” Costa told Guinness. “We are very happy and grateful to life for allowing us, after 30 years, to have Bobi in our daily lives.”
Say what? How? It is understood that for each 4.4 pounds of body weight life expectancy is decreased by a month for dogs. Why? There could be several reasons, however Bobi is not the first in the family to do well with longevity.
The record-breaking pet also has eyesight and mobility issues that have come with age, but overall he is following in his family’s long-lasting footsteps. Bobi’s mother, Gira, lived to be 18, while another of the Costa family’s dogs, Chicote, lived to be 22.
Obviously, this is a great result. Is there a feeding regimen? Something on the farm? Clean air, water? What is Portugal’s human life expectancy compared to ours?
Interestingly, their life expectancy is about 82, compared to our 78. This is roughly a five percent difference. A person can live a good amount of life in four years, if given the opportunity. So why, then, is the gap so high, and does it explain Bobi’s exceptional health?
We can’t draw a fair conclusion, or even make an accurate comparison, between humans and pets, except we can examine the lifestyle and environment that both live in.
In terms of longevity, the United States is not even among the top thirty.
That ranges from San Marino at about 87 to Germany at around 81. In fact if healthcare were like the NCAA basketball tournament by which we could compete, our country would probably be slated for the NIT.
As far as air quality goes, that list is dominated by Finland and Australia. So what can we discern from the bubbly Bobi?
Perhaps he eats homemade food from the farm, or breathes clean air, or drinks clean water. But not only is he a long lived pooch, he comes from the category of dogs, large, that typically have the lowest life expectancy. We can ascribe his success to an anomaly or dig deeper.
Could you imagine running and playing at age 164?
I have to conclude there is something special about the Costa farm, that keeps allowing its residents to go so long before buying it.
-ROC