Dogs are a lovely species of animals, but they have one flaw that is absolutely terrible: after a while, they tend to die.
A study, recently published in the journal Nature, studied the deaths of nearly 600,000 dogs of more than 150 different breeds in the United Kingdom.
The typical profile of a dog that will live a relatively long time is that of small or medium size, with a long muzzle.
Conversely, the dog who is likely to live a shorter life will be a large, or even very large, dog, or a brachycephalic dog, that is to say with a crushed snout (bulldogs, pugs, boxers, etc.).
Another observation: females have an overall higher life expectancy than males.
On the other hand, the study notes that purebred dogs do not necessarily die younger than crossbred dogs, despite what many studies have suggested in recent years.
Also read: Six tips for caring for an aging dog
Of the more than 150 breeds studied, the longest-lived dog is the Lancashire Heeler, a small terrier that has a life expectancy of 15.4 years.
A little further down, we find a dog that has been very popular in homes for several years: the Australian Shepherd, which lives on average 13.7 years, or the Jack Russell, which dies on average at 13 years old.
Further down the list, we find larger dogs, such as the Bernese mountain dog which is said to live up to 10 years, but also bulldogs, English and French, 9.8 years.
At the very bottom, we find a large dog, the Caucasian Shepherd, which would only have a life expectancy of 5.4 years, almost three times less.”