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Dog Years

Why do we refer to a dog’s age in “dog years”?? Wouldn’t it just be easier to use human years like we do for many other animals?

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Answer #1

Dear lifeoftheparty20, Dogs age faster than humans…for every human year they age 7; hence dog years. Most other animal age much faster than humans as well. The parrot can live to be 100 outliving most humans. Sue

Answer #2

Good question. “Dog Years” came about as a way to equate a dog’s age to that of a human because humans have had such a history of affinity for dogs. We constantly talk to dogs like they understand every word we say. We dress them up like children. We personify them to be just as human as us sometimes.

We don’t however usually say, “My dog is 63”. Usually we would say, “My dog is 7 years old, that is 63 in Dog Years” mostly as a way to equate the behaviors or frailty of the dog to someone. If someone thought of my dog as a teenager they would excuse the stubborn behaviors. If my dog was equated to an old woman they might not be so rough to play with her.

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