奇速英语

Bobi, the world’s oldest dog ever, has died after reaching the almost unbelievable age of 31 years and 165 days, said Guinness World Records on Monday.

Bobi was a Rafeiro do Alentejo — according to his owner Leonel Costa. Rafeiro do Alentejos have a life expectancy of about 12-14 years, according to the American Kennel Club. But Bobi lived more than twice as long as that life expectancy, surpassing an almost century-old record to become the oldest living dog and the oldest dog ever — a title which had previously been held by Australian cattle-dog Bluey, who was born in 1910 and lived to be 29 years and five months old.

Bobi’s story almost had a different ending. When he and his three siblings (兄弟姐妹) were born in the family’s woodshed, Costa’s father decided they already had too many animals at home. Costa and his brothers thought their parents had taken all the dogs away to be destroyed. However, a few sad days later, the children found Bobi alive, safely hidden in a pile of logs. They hid the puppy from their parents and, by the time Bobi’s existence became known, he was too old to be put down and went on to live his record-breaking life.

There were many secrets to Bob’s extraordinary old age, Leonel Costa said. He always walked freely, without a leash (皮带) or chain, lived in a “calm, peaceful” environment and ate human food put in water to remove seasonings (调味品), Costa said.

His 31st birthday party in May was attended by more than 100 people and a performing dance group, Guinness World Records said. His eyesight deteriorated and walking became harder as Bobi grew older.

“Bobi is special because 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, and my grandparents, who have already left this world,” Costa said. “Bobi represents those generations.”