Our miniature poodle died at thirteen.
Our irish setter died at ten.
Our golden retriever died when she was twelve & half.

They all had to be put to sleep in the end because of illnes, because there was nothing else the vet could do.
So i was wondering if they hadn't been ill, how long would they have lived for??

I always thought wouldn't it have been lovely for them to die in old age & in their sleep. :)

So how old do dogs live, all replies welcome. :)

we have a springer aged almost 16
she became very very ill indeed just before christmas infact we thought we were about to loose her, we took her to the vets to be put to sleep, we were sure there was no way back
she has bounced back from her illness and is still going strong
so guess dogs can live much longer

I think that's an almost impossible question to answer.

I've always hoped my dogs would live to a grand old age and pass away peacefully in their sleep (just what we'd all like for ourselves probably).

My first Goldie had to be pts with failing health and heart problems at 9, far too young. My 2nd was 17+ and again had to be pts to prevent further suffering following the discovery of a massive growth internally and there was no option really, I wouldn't put him through an op at that age. He was one dog that I really hoped would pass away in his sleep. My first Dobe lived to nearly 14, which is a good age for the breed, she was pts with failing health.

My childhood Westie was 15+, and had to be pts through cancer. Her son was 17+ and I'm sure could have gone on longer, but was pts with loads of medical problems (he'd never been what you'd call healthy).

So, in my limited experience, all my dogs have been pts. How long they could have gone on for I'll never know, I just know I couldn't have let them suffer indefinitely with no quality of life.

One was put to sleep because of illness at 13. Another was 14 and had a very sudden illness that killed her within 3 days. I've had two live to be 15 and were put to sleep when they finally became so frail that life was becoming too much of a trial, although they weren't actually ill. One was put to sleep at 10 because of paralysis; one died of cancer at 10 and one died of anaesthetic reaction at 8.

Smaller breeds tend to live longer than bigger ones; small terriers frequently reach their late teens, sometimes early 20s. Medium-sized breeds often make mid-teens, whereas giant breeds often don't reach 10 years.

What about cross breeds do they live longer than pedigree's??

Not necessarily. Our mongrel was the one who died of cancer at 10, and the pedigrees which have lived till their teens.

A dog from a line of long-lived dogs is likely to have a longer lifespan than a dog whose ancestors died early. The advantageof pedigrees is that you're more likely to be able to find this out than with the average mongrel or crossbreed.

> What about cross breeds do they live longer than pedigree's??

2 mongrels (litermates) bitch PTS at 15 & half yrs, male PTS at 12yrs
Lab cross, PTS at 14 & half yrs.

I don't think cross-breeds/mongrels live longer than pure-breds in general.

Seeing this reminded me.............

As a youngster I had a collie x live next door. Lovely fluffy thing she was, Lady her name. She was a little old dear when I was 5/6 she died at the grand old age of almost 19!!!!

She died in her sleep in the kitchen next to the puppy her owners bought only a few weeks before. Its almost as if she hung on for her replacement before letting go :)
I dont remember her ever being ill and although a bit stiff, slow and scruffy she was a happy dog to the end.

RIP Lady xxxx

There is a Papillon mentioned on a UK breed list that turns 21 today. :) Otherwise, this question is a bit like "How long is a piece of string?" but of course you can get a bit of an idea from the KC health survey results which mentions average life span -but that's from a relatively small sample.
http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/570

The oldest dog I've had ever is still alive -Rufus my Cavalier who currently is 15 years old.

I haven't lost a dog of my own before, not looking forward to it either. I didn't realise rotties don't generally live over ten years either.

So sad reading some of the stories about people losing there dogs.

My aunt's beagle lived to 17. He was quite fit so we took him to the IOW to spend Christmas wth my parents. His 17th birthday was on Boxing Day and we took him to the beach and he played on the sand and paddled in the sea :) It was some 6 months later that he started to become senile and incontinent and had to be PTS.

Daisy

My Mums Griffon was 15 and he died in his sleep. Mum's Jack was about 14 we think and again died in his sleep but her Lakeland Terrier died at 9 years old.

I hope mine do go before me, whilst it will break my heart I would know they were cared for and safe until the end. But thats years and years away I hope.

There's a need for a better recording system - hopefully something that will be set up and running soon -  but there is some data out there. This site needs updating, but it is still useful and it does includes the data from the KC Breed Health Survey from 2004) which is the biggest all-breed survey ever done in the UK.

http://users.pullman.com/lostriver/longhome.htm

Headlines: crossbreed dogs live, on average, a little longer than purebreds. Smaller dogs live, on average, longer than larger ones.

Tricolours, your miniature poodle and Irish Setter died a little younger than the average for their breeds and your goldie did a bit better than the breed average of 12.04.

Jemima

How long do dogs live??

Sadly, not nearly long enough.

The oldest living dog I met was a Papillon.  The oldest dog I ever had was a Pekingese who survived to 17 years of age living with 5 children and 2 lurchers.  She had the heart of a lion and even partially blind a deaf still found her way to my Nana's every morning for her bit of cheese.

I heard of a miniature poodle living til his early twentys (23 i believe). Like in humans i think the age they live to depends on a variety of factors. At least with animals we have the option to PTS if the animals quality of life starts to suffer.

Just heard of a Papillon that died shortly before his 28th birthday!

We had a Papillon that went to live with my great aunt and she was 19 when she died.  Our Pomeranian's live on average to around 16 years.  Had one Spanish live to 15 and her mother was pts at 12 and a half.  My eldest boy will be 12 next month and sadly don't think he has much longer on this earth.

My parent's miniature poodle died at the age of 11, my rottweiler had to be put to sleep due to serious health problems when he was 10 years, which is, I think, the average lifespan for the breed.
If I'm not mistaken, medium/small dogs usually live longer than bulky mastiff-like ones, they less prone to heart or joint and etc deseases.

Hi thanks 2 this thread made me think of our old collie x lab he was 19yrs old had 2 be pts i picked him up as if he was a pup again i was 8mths pregnant and he was'nt a small dog thanks rip sweep:)

First GSD pts aged 10, severe hip dip.
Second GSD pts 13, weary, incontinent and weak on legs
Third GSD pets 14, weary, organs shutting down
Fourth GSD pts 10, heart failure
Fifth GSD pts 7, brain tumour

To me, looking back the first three were pts a day too late, the fourth was planned and timing perfect
the fifth one was so sudden, I still wish I could have spared her the last 12 hours, but we had no idea what was going on. It still haunts me and I don't think I will ever come to terms with losing her as I did. One of my beiggest regrets is that I walked a blind dog into the vets, and as she stopped at the door, I put my hand on her head and told her it would be OK. I had no idea that an hour later I would be leaving for the crematorium.

Goldie mad that is so sad x

We've just had a male schip celebrate his 16th last wk, our breed oldest was a 21 yr old bitch died about 4 yrs ago, we expect them to live past 14 yrs.

I grew up with a Pembroke corgi that lived to over 18 before he was PTS because life was becoming a trial for him.
My mum had a Cairn Terrier who lived to over 18 (rescue dog)
My Affie X (rescue) was PTS at 15 and a half - he was senile and incontinent after a stroke :(  I always told my daughter who grew up with him that as he's had such a bad start in life he may not live very long.  And at the end it felt like he was too young :(

My oldest is now 10 and like a puppy, her mother is 16 and  caught a rat last Christmas :)  I'm hoping she has a while yet ;)

My friend has a collie / spaniel / goodness knows what cross who is 21 next month and can still gallop stiffly about! My own dogs are 8 and 5, hopefully we will have them for a while yet. :-)

The beagle we had when I was a child lived to 19, our next dog, a collie x, lived to 17 and my oldest at the moment is a still-lively collie x golden retriever who will be 13 in July.

My GSD x RW Sally was 17 years old when she passed away. One of the worst crossed when it comes to HD and ED - she was the longest living dog I've ever had! And one of my lurchers (GH x Irish Terrier) is pushing 14 this year and is as healthy as a horse and still the boss.

My parents were given a puppy for me when I was 6 weeks old. She was PTS just before my 17th Birthday nothing wrong with her just frayed at the edges and life was becoming uncomfortable for her  Mum and Dads mixed breed, the predecesor to the collie,fell asleep at the foot of Dads bed where she always lay and went in her sleep age unsure but thought to be about 15.... .. My 2nd collie was 161/2 he went 5 years ago This May Day...