Bobi, the World’s Oldest Dog Ever, Dies Aged 31

On Friday, October 20, 2023, the world’s oldest living dog, a Portuguese pup named Bobi, passed away at the incredible age of 31 years and 165 days, reported Guinness World Records on Monday.

His passing at an animal hospital was first announced by veterinarian Dr. Karen Becker, who wrote on Facebook that “despite outliving every dog in history, his 11,478 days on earth would never be enough, for those who loved him.”

Earlier this year, Bobi dethroned a 23-year-old Chihuahua from Ohio to claim the title of oldest living dog. He even surpassed an almost century-old record to become the oldest dog ever, a title previously held by Australian Cattle Dog Bluey, who was born in 1910 and lived to be 29 years and five months old.

Bobi was a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, a Portuguese breed of livestock watchdog that has a life expectancy of 12 – 14 years. The senior dog comes from a line with longevity. His mom, Gira, lived to be 18. 

Bobi’s birth date—May 1992—was confirmed by the Veterinary Medical Service of the Municipality of Leiria along with the government-run pet database SIAC. 

His owner, Leonel Costa, 38, who was just eight years old when Bobi was born, credits his dog’s incredible longevity to the “calm, peaceful environment” he lives in “far from the cities,” according to Guinness. 

Their home in the rural Portuguese village of Conqueiros, Portugal, is about about 93 miles (150 km) north of the capital Lisbon. Bobi spent his life eating “natural foods” and spending lots of time outside, according to his owner.

“Looking at him is like remembering the people who were part of our family and unfortunately are no longer here, like my father, my brother, or my grandparents who have already left this world,” Costa told Guinness World Records earlier this year. “Bobi represents those generations.”

Outward Hound Recapitalizes with J.W. Childs Associates

Outward Hound® has entered into a partnership with consumer products and retail expert J.W. Childs Associates in a deal announced in December.

J.W. Childs has a successful portfolio of current and exited investments that include notable successful brands including Meow Mix, Hartz, Pinnacle Foods, Kosta Browne, Mattress Firm, Bass Pro Shops, RevZilla.com and many more.

 “Outward Hound will continue creating innovative products in the pet space and could not be more excited about our new partnership with J.W. Childs that will take us to the next level with both our retail partners and consumers,” said Outward Hound® Founder & CWO (Chief Woof Officer) Kyle Hansen. “We completed four acquisitions over the last 3 years including Petstages, Dublin Dog, Nina Ottosson and Bionic with the goal now of expanding our portfolio even more in current and new categories.”

 “We’re excited about our investment in Outward Hound® and the fantastic leadership team that has built one of the fastest growing brands in the pet space,” said J.W. Childs Partner David Fiorentino. “The innovative product portfolio in multiple categories create exciting opportunities to deliver great products for pet parents around the world and accelerate growth.”  

 Four executives from J.W. Childs will join the Outward Hound Board of Directors: Partners David Fiorentino and Adam Suttin, Vice President Kyle Casella and Operating Partner Philip Damiano.

Philip Damiano Operating Partner at J.W. Childs and former CEO of Idea Paint, COO of Velcro and President of Esselte, a Rubbermaid Company will be appointed Chairman of the Board, working closely with Mr. Hansen and management.

Philip commented, “I’ve been actively involved in numerous brands over the last three decades and am extremely impressed with the best-in-class performance the Outward Hound® management team has delivered.  I’m excited to be working closely with Kyle and the great team as they continue to grow and develop the Outward Hound® brand portfolio around the world.”

About Outward Hound 

Outward Hound® creates meaningful innovations with the best team in the industry that solve big problems for pet parents and is a leader in dog & cat supplies sold around the world. Outward Hound is an award-winning innovator, manufacturer and distributor of the highest quality toys, games, gear, collars, and feeders under the Outward Hound, Petstages, Bionic, Nina Ottosson and Dublin Dog brands.

For more information, please visit www.outwardhound.com and check out how we Raise The Woof on Facebook or Instagram every day.

About J.W. Childs Associates 

 J.W. Childs is a Boston-based private equity firm focused on investing in middle-market growth companies. Since inception in 1995, J.W. Childs has invested in excess of $3.5 billion of equity capital in 48 companies across the consumer, specialty retail and healthcare industries. The firm’s success has been built on its industry focus and the extensive operating expertise of its partners. For more information, please visit www.jwchilds.com.

True Leaf Completes Purchase of Award-Winning Animal-Care Product Company

OregaPet® purchase adds access to natural grocery shelves and revenue to the True Leaf bottom line

VANCOUVER, JANUARY 9, 2017 — True Leaf Pet Inc., the Vernon, BC company that produces and sells hemp-based functional chews for dogs, has completed the purchase of the assets and intellectual property of OregaPet®, an award-winning Canadian brand of medicinal products for animals.

Previously, True Leaf and OregaPet® announced the signing of a letter of intent on November 3, 2016. The purchase is now complete effective January 1, 2017, with True Leaf acquiring all of OregaPet®’s assets.

“This is a major positive step forward for True Leaf Pet,” said Darcy Bomford, True Leaf CEO. “The OregaPet® brand and natural-remedy focus align perfectly with our company’s “Quality of Life” vision for our customers and their pets. At the same time, the addition of 10 new items to our product line-up will instantly expand our in-store presence and generate revenue in all of our markets.”

True Leaf Pet paid a total of $200,000 – $100,000 in cash and $100,000 in shares – for the brand assets, and then agreed to pay $146,409.95 for finished goods and packaging inventory over three years with no interest. The seller and its principal shareholder, TLM Development Ltd., also agreed to enter into a 5-year non-competition and non-solicitation agreement covering pet-related businesses.

OregaPet®’s product line has attracted industry recognition for its innovation and effectiveness. OregaPet® Bed and Body Spray received the 2016 National Nutrition.ca award for Best Pet Product and OregaPet® Oil of Oregano received the 2013 Alive® Consumer’s Choice Silver Award for Best New Product.  Sales of OregaPet® products in Canada are approximately $12,000 per month, and the company expects significant growth as it rebrands the line for sale in the US and European specialty pet and natural grocery markets. 

“OregaPet is unique in that it is the only brand that has leveraged the widely-recognized medicinal powers of ‘oil of oregano’ and incorporated them into a pet product line.  Natural remedies and holistic alternatives to pharmaceuticals are top-of-mind with our customer demographic and we see a real winner here,” said True Leaf CEO, Darcy Bomford.

True Leaf has seen steady growth over the past quarter and expects solid performance as it enters the new year and closes off its fiscal year in March 2017. Key to the company’s strategy are additional line extensions under its successfully established ‘True Hemp’ brand and new product offerings through acquisitions and entries into new market segments.