We all know that our beloved dogs age faster than we do. While we live on, the world whizzes by for them at a speed several times faster that it does around us.

Like the Elves in Tolkien's mythology, who saw the men (the atantari) grow old and die in dismay, we feel a pang of regret as we watch the nose of our dogs slowly turn white, and their energy drop. We remember the time when they used to whizz around non stop after a ball, or with us, tirelessly.

Some say that a single year of a dog measures upto 15 years for humans. The oldest dog in the world was "Bluey" - an Australian cattle dog who was put to sleep at the age of 29 years!

The average life span of a dog is 13-15 years. Smaller dogs typically live 1.5 times longer than larger dogs. Just like with humans, the heath depends on their diet, and their genes. Certain dogs like the Miniature Poodle have longer life spans. Also, spayed or neutered dogs tendt to live slightly longer as well.

In addition, female dogs seem to once again (Just like in humans) have a life span advantage over their male counterparts.