The Life Expectancy of Dogs

We want our dogs to live as long as possible, but the truth is, certain dog breeds live longer than others. If you are in the market for a new pet, following is some information that could help in this decision making process.

The age of a dog varies from breed to breed, but the average life span of the North American or European dog is about 12.8 years. Over the past 100 years there has been an increase in life span thanks to better medical care, and healthier foods.

The fact is that larger dogs like the Saint Bernard live shorter lives than smaller dogs because physically, the bodies of larger dogs must work harder and are more stressed than the bodies of smaller dogs. Medium sized dogs can live to be between 11 to 14, while very large breeds live only 8 to 12 years. some small dogs can live up to 22 years of age, but the average is from 14 to 22.

The life expectancy of any particular dog is also determined by the stresses in its everyday life - just like humans. of course, this includes physical and psychological stresses, what the dog eats and how well you take care of your dog.

While a Labrador Retriever may live an average of 12.6 years, some people report their Labs having lived much longer. The same thing goes for smaller breeds such as a Lhasa Apso or a Miniature Poodle, whose life expectancy is about 14.8 years of age. Yet there are some poodles that live to be more than 18 years old.

Have you ever tried to add up how old your dog is in "human' years? In reality, the seven years to one human year is a myth, or a dog that is 20 would be 140 years old. Even basing the lifespan on 100 years, a small dog's age would roughly be five years to every human year, so five times 20 would be 100 years. There is no one formula for a dog to human age conversion that has ever been scientifically analyzed.

Typically, a one year old puppy that has reached full growth is usually sexually mature, although it might still need to fill out, just like human teenagers. A two year old dog is equivalent to about another 3 to 8 years in terms of mental and physical maturity, while each year thereafter is equal to around four or five years if you look at it from human terms.

As a dog gets on in years, it is critical to take good care of the animal, and make it comfortable as it approaches its last days. You will know when your dog stops eating, its breathing becomes difficult, and other pets begin to snap at it or ignore the animal. The time may have come to plan a pet memorial service and think about taking it to the vet to be put down and out of its pain.

As sad as it may be, when your dog dies, you can help your dog live forever in the hearts of your family by conducting a pet memorial. Purchasing a dog urn, to put cremains in is one way to remember your friend. Pet urns are each as unique as your pet, and can fit nicely into a home, or be used in an ash spreading ceremony.

Remember that your pet will always live long in the memories of you and those who truely loved it.

Kristin Gabriel is a Los Angeles social media consultant based in Los Angeles, CA who works with Peternity.com, a place where people honor their pets for eternity. Peternity provides custom products including pet urns grave markers, garden statue pet memorials, pet memorial headstones, pet keepsake memorials, pet portraits, burial boxes, custom engraved glasswork, and other pet memorials. Call 877-PET-PEACE or go to http://www.peternity.com