Hello, welcome to BrainStuff.
You’re you, hopefully, I’m Ben, and you
may have heard that dogs age differently from
people – it’s the old notion of a “dog
year."
The idea that one year for humans equals about
seven years for a pooch.
But is this true, or just a tall tale – a
shaggy dog story, if you will?
Well, yes and no.
Mainly, no.
First, let’s talk about aging.
Age, you see, isn’t just some hard-and-fast
measurement of chronology.
It’s also a measurement of how time affects
our bodies.
Animals all age, but at different rates.
By way of example, let’s look at this seven-year
myth.
By that logic, a 15 year old dog would be,
in equivalent years, a 105 year old person.
But why do so many dogs live to or past 15
years old, and so few people live to 105?
It doesn’t add up.
And this is because we can’t make a simple
one-to-one comparison.
First, dogs don’t all have the same life
expectancy, and they don’t age at the same
rate, either.
Think about it this way: picture a Chihuahua.
A Chihuahua can live to be over 15 people
years old (yipping at us tirelessly the entire
time).
However, a larger breed, like a Great Dane,
has a shorter life span, on the order of as
little as 7-8 years.
The size of a dog affects its life expectancy,
as does its breed and expected adult weight.
Generally we can make a good guess at a dog’s
age range based on these factors.
Back to the rate of aging.
Dogs undergo a maturation process, just like
people.
A puppy’s first year on the planet equals
about more than a decade of people years,
but this rule doesn’t apply for every year
of a dog’s life afterward.
After about two years on Earth, a puppy is
officially mature, able to sexually reproduce
and, if it were a person, heck, it could buy
booze, vote and register for the draft.
I'm getting derailed.
In biological terms, dogs also fall victim
to the ravages of age, just like people.
As a pooch ages she or he may begin to develop
arthritis, poor hearing or vision, and other
ailments common in elderly humans.
And they appear to age more quickly in the
early years, while their aging slows in later
years.
But, if you’d like to gauge your dog’s
age and life expectancy, never fear!
While it’s true that there’s no simple
multiplication exercise applying to all dogs,
you can use handy estimation charts like this
one to make an educated guess about your pup’s
lifespan.
Interesting side note - if this whole “7
years” thing is a myth (and it is!) then
where did it come from?
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal,
veterinarian William Fortney speculated that
this may have originated as a “marketing
ploy,” meant to encourage pet owners to
bring their dogs in for check-ups once a year.
So there we have it.
Dogs don’t exist in some weird Rip Van Winkle-esque
time imbalance, and every year for you isn’t
automatically seven for your favorite canine.
However, they do age at a different rate,
and it’s important to keep this in mind.
Make sure you stay up-to-date on vet visits,
vaccinations and field trips.
Fine, I added the last one.
But it’s important!
What dog doesn’t love a little fresh air
and adventure?
So get out there, have fun, and as always
stayed tuned for more BrainStuff.
