Why do dogs have such short life expectancies?

[slightlyhuman]

always tear up in these threads. i have a 2.5yo great dane, he's half way there..

RIP bud, beautiful dog.

 

[rh71]

you know what they do everyday... practically nothing. Bored to death for the most part. Our pomeranian I grew up with died a year ago - he was 15 years old - trachea was closing up which is common for toy dogs). Not a fun way to go the last few days of his life.

I'm glad my kids aren't into dogs (hopefully never). I refuse to get another.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

Just remember the great times you had with your friend, and don't let his loss deter you from adopting a new pup. They are all individuals and such a joy to learn their personalities. I met my wife 5 years ago, and fell in love with her dog Spike instantly. It was strange because they said he hated strangers, but from the time he laid eyes on me he was my buddy. He passed away in January after being with my wife for 14 years, and me for 5. That was not a good day at all and even though no new dog can replace him I can't imagine not having a dog in my life after him.

 

[utahraptor]

It is sad. My cat just turned five and that makes him older than me in cat years.

 

[Midwayman]

They have short DBA telomeres? Well at least that what I've heard is the 'age clock' for humans anyways.

 

[Agent11]

All of my cats have lived to be around 20. Dogs do tend to not live so long. It's a shame.

 

[Hoober]

Thanks, everyone. It's tough. As I said, we were expecting it, but the feeling of loss has taken me by complete surprise. We still have one dog. He's as old as the one who died, and I would guess we'll hold off on pups until he passes.

I appreciate everyone's support.

 

[AMCRambler]

It is the lesson of life. It starts with the flowers dying every year, then you notice dogs and cats from your youth going down that road. As you age you see your Aunts and Uncles going on to the next thing. Then your Contemporaries begin to go and you think about how short life is. Once your mate goes, you know that your time is written in sand.

That's some profound shit right there.

Sorry for your loss. Everyone is right though you gotta focus on the time you had together.

I think about this everyday with my dog. I know we've only got her for a short time so when it comes down to deciding whether to take her for that extra walk when she's bouncing off the walls or just sitting in the grass with her on a beautiful day, I spend as much time with her as I can and try to make her life as rewarding and enjoyable as I can while keeping her her healthy and safe.

 

[datalink7]

"We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made."
-M. Acklam

Sorry for your loss.

 

[Eureka]

The real answer, we all have biological clocks, something like 1 billion heartbeats. Dogs, having quite the higher metabolism, will go before we do.

And so all things shall pass. We just adopted our first long term pet, a 3 month old kitten. It's horrifyingly sad to know that time like this is limited, especially as how attached we've gotten in the month we've had her, and I can't imagine what it's like to be on the other end.