Adnil444 Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 No - clearly not as I have a Dane. You could easily have a Dane who lives 8+ years just like you could get an Aussie which only makes it to 2. There is no guarantee in any breed that they will live a long life. My last Dane was 21 months when he had to be put to sleep. Maybe because we know our time with our Danes is more limited, perhaps we are more conscious of making the most of that time with them, don't sweat the small stuff as much etc Regardless of any of that - the relationship you get with a Dane makes it all worthwhile - however long or short it is. Couldn't agree more - out of the 4 danes I've had, one lived to 10.5 and only died because of snake bite, the next eldest was 9 and also died of snake bite (we had a terrible problem with tiger snakes on a particular property we lived on, we moved to another part of the district and never had a problem with them again). The next dane was 6 and had to be pts due to a brain tumour and the last dane dropped dead in the back of the car at 10 mths (heart issue). All of these dogs were wonderful and filled our lives with so much joy. I certainly wouldn't let the so called lifespan of a particular breed put me off. Danes are in my book, the best dogs ever and I'm hoping to get another dane one day. I recently had my mini schnauzer pts due to old age and several health issues, she was 14. She was a delightful little dog and I miss her but I never enjoyed her like I did with the danes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danois Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Sorry to hear about your girl Adnil but pleased to hear you'll have another Dane in your family again one day. It's a really hard thing to explain isn't it - about what makes Danes just different to other dogs. Until you've owned one - then you know! Even if mine woke me up at 6.30 this morning by sitting on me when he misjudged how much space he had on the bed beside me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wings Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 I'm determined to own an Irish Wolfhound at some point in my life. The years may be shorter then some breeds but they will be awesome years! Yes it will be heartbreaking when they die but my horses can live to 30+ years and I'll outlive all the ones in my care, be it 5 or 30 years I'll make the most of them :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kajtek Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 (edited) Is a dog's life ever long enough? NO & NO & NO (3 x NO for each of my bullies) It does not matter one bit if the dog is 7-8 or 17-18. There are always more things to do, more love to give and receive. IMO the lifespan does not matter. It's the quality of life and the bond they have with their human parent/guardian. Edited March 10, 2012 by Kajtek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuddleDuck Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 ;) It's my own Life expectancy that will determine my next dog......which hopefully will be another Cavalier. I know that my children all Love Cavs. and when I do "Fall off my Perch" they would take my Dogs with open arms, The Cat as well, The Parrot and the Fish... ;) Funny you say that Kadbury.The lady that lives across the road from me has had two cats that both lived to 21...that's 2 cats in 42 years.She's in her 70's now and isn't game to get another cat in case she as you said "falls off her perch" before she gets to her 90's.Her family are not cat people. SM maybe she could adopt a golden oldie from a shelter? There would be plenty of older cats out there looking for homes I'm sure :) My oldest dog was a lab x border who we PTS at 20 years and 11 months. I was so annoyed-really wanted to throw her a big 21st birthday party!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HazyWal Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 ;) It's my own Life expectancy that will determine my next dog......which hopefully will be another Cavalier. I know that my children all Love Cavs. and when I do "Fall off my Perch" they would take my Dogs with open arms, The Cat as well, The Parrot and the Fish... ;) Funny you say that Kadbury.The lady that lives across the road from me has had two cats that both lived to 21...that's 2 cats in 42 years.She's in her 70's now and isn't game to get another cat in case she as you said "falls off her perch" before she gets to her 90's.Her family are not cat people. SM maybe she could adopt a golden oldie from a shelter? There would be plenty of older cats out there looking for homes I'm sure :) My oldest dog was a lab x border who we PTS at 20 years and 11 months. I was so annoyed-really wanted to throw her a big 21st birthday party!!! Good point PD you are right,I should mention that to her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westiemum Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 This. My old westie Mac is 13 in august and by the averages he should be falling off his twig in June at about 12.8 years - and judging by his health and latest blood tests that's highly unlikely! Although he's slowing down and has some early dementia, he's still a delightfully happy old chap and I'm expecting quite a few more years with him. I really thought about this breed longevity issue a lot before posting as its not something that has really occurred to me or influenced my choice. All my westies came to me as older dogs (4(?), 5 and 6) which means regardless of how long each individual dog lives I will generally have them for a shorter time. Which while a sad reality, I would chose an older dog again in a heart beat. As another poster said I think its quality not quantity of life - and I love every milli-second I'm lucky enough to have with my guys - regardless of how many milliseconds that ultimately ends up being. :) Wouldn't ever select a breed simply because it's going to live for a long time. You can't predict for individual dogs anyway. Just because a breed is given a group average 'life' of 14 + years (or whatever), doesn't mean every dog of that breed will do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Wouldn't ever select a breed simply because it's going to live for a long time. You can't predict for individual dogs anyway. Just because a breed is given a group average 'life' of 14 + years (or whatever), doesn't mean every dog of that breed will do so. Nor can you predict which ticket is going to win Lotto. But you can get an idea of what the odds are. That's what the stats tell you. I've never bought a Lotto ticket. I'd rather put my love out to a dog that's likely to be with me for a decade or more. It hurts so much when they die. I am not sure the breed statistics are all important. To the best I can figure, some lines within a breed live much longer than others. I have been accused of a broken record. Here's the single place where I repeat most. I wish the pedigree world would track date and cause of death as well as the date of birth and the number of pups in the litter. That would provide breeders with a basis for breeding FOR longevity, and away from cancer-prone lines. . . . and lines prone to other diseases that have a known hereditary component. It really pissed me off when I went into the WACA to record the death of my foundation bitch and was told, in effect: "why bother . . . some of our members have hundreds of dead dogs on their books." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackdogs Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Wouldn't ever select a breed simply because it's going to live for a long time. You can't predict for individual dogs anyway. Just because a breed is given a group average 'life' of 14 + years (or whatever), doesn't mean every dog of that breed will do so. Nor can you predict which ticket is going to win Lotto. But you can get an idea of what the odds are. That's what the stats tell you. I've never bought a Lotto ticket. I'd rather put my love out to a dog that's likely to be with me for a decade or more. It hurts so much when they die. I am not sure the breed statistics are all important. To the best I can figure, some lines within a breed live much longer than others. I have been accused of a broken record. Here's the single place where I repeat most. I wish the pedigree world would track date and cause of death as well as the date of birth and the number of pups in the litter. That would provide breeders with a basis for breeding FOR longevity, and away from cancer-prone lines. . . . and lines prone to other diseases that have a known hereditary component. It really pissed me off when I went into the WACA to record the death of my foundation bitch and was told, in effect: "why bother . . . some of our members have hundreds of dead dogs on their books." Hear, hear. More emphasis on health, longevity and temperament, please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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