So today I learned something new. One dog year does NOT equal 7 human years. I remember as a little girl, I was so proud to tell anyone who would listen that both me and my dog Ginger, a one-year-old Golden Retriever, were 7 years old.
But I came across this article on the AKC website today that was first posted in November 2015. It explains why the 7:1 theory, which has been around since the 1950s, is a myth.
The new and improved system for calculating a dog’s age in human years is one that accounts for the fact that smaller dogs live longer, in general.
So Chatham, who turned 10 on Monday, is closer to 66 in human years than to 70. It’s not a big difference, but I’ll take it!
Two Dog Tales 
I miss Chatham! It’s been forever. Brody – my mastiff – turned EIGHT this year which is ancient in giant breed years. He’s still as active as ever and in great health, except after a failed attempt at jumping the fence, he’s stopped that (bad) habit. It was hilarious though, he crouched down like he was going to jump and instead of propelling himself up, he did a full on body check into the fence. He wasn’t hurt, but he definitely hasn’t tried it again!
By: Lizzy Slentz on April 18, 2017
at 11:04 pm