For years I’ve heard the ratio was 7 to 1, but I recently found out that is not it at all. According to the interwebby thingy this is the equation: For the first two years, a dog year is equal to 10.5 human years. After that, each dog year equals 4 human years. This calculation is based on studies that indicate dogs, except maybe larger breeds, develop more quickly in the first two years of life. Well that was as clear as mud, but it covers the ground and left me more confused than I was an hour ago. A dog is 16 (Our Years) so using the times 7 that is 112 their years
The same dog (Still 16 of our years) using the interwebby scale is 77 in their years. Either way that is a ripe old age. But then I have a cat (Long story) that is 19 years old in our (Human years) but our cat is 92 in cat years or 19 in our years. Pretty boring information so far???
But there is a good reason I’m telling you all of this; early this morning we found our 16 year old dog Mini (AKA Minimum) a long time friend and faithful member of our house passed this morning. Mini came to us the same way as so many other dogs have, someone gave her to us. We had just moved into our new house, and had stopped by a friends bar and one of the customers was there with his dog and a box of puppies. If you find that odd then you need to spend more time in the Philippines. While I was having a beer I spied Mayang peering into the box, and knew a pup was coming home with us. The customer turned and said, to Mayang that they were free if she would give it a good home. Mayang took one and left without a word. Naturally I waited and had another beer when she returned and showed the guy the new shot record card she received from the vet. That was in 1999.
Now it’s the year 2016.It was sad, and it still upsets me, but here is what happened. The past year she has slowed down to a snail’s pace. If she jumped up to bark and informed us that someone was at the gate (The rest of the Dog Army had already informed us) after that bark, she was forced to lie down and take a nap.
She will be missed, as any of you dog lovers know, a dog is as much a part of your life as eating or sleeping. Even a planned trip requires pet sitters to be hired and then trained. And everyday you’re absent you worry, kind of like they were teenagers. If you want good sex you need a good woman, if you want unconditional love , you need a good dog. To prove this point, put a woman and you dog in the trunk of your car for twenty minutes, let them both out and tell me who still loves you. Now I found that I must explain that those last two comments were purely added in jest, please don’t tell me we shouldn’t do that to our ladies, as we already know that!
But instead of feeling sad, I’ll remember coming home from sea and the family telling me that 30 minutes before I pulled up to the gate she (Mini) had been going berserker as if she knew I was coming. Mayang and the girls would hug me and Mini tried to nuzzle her way in between us to get at me. While home she would stay by my side, including during naps. If she needed to go outside she would hit me with her paw and wake me then she ran and scratched the door. I was looking at those scratches on our Nara Wood door and swear I’ll never refinish it.
I have 13 other dogs whom I love also, but Mini was the “DONA” a Japanese Spitz who left us with three of her pups (All aging now) I’m not in a very sad mood as my memories are forever, but tomorrow I know I’ll be looking around the house for her. What I am sad about is that whichever scale you use to figure dog years, it will never be enough. But the cat still survives and will outlast me.
Paul,
Your dog Mini looked just like my dog. We love her very much,
It was a fitting send-off for your long-time friend.
Hi Jason;
I have three of her offspring, 2 males and one female. at one time the neighbors would ask foe a puppy until I found that their life span was less than a few months so after that I just kept them and separated the boys from the girls. But now even her pups are advancing in age. I have a visiting vet that comes once a year to check them all, and one in town foe emergencies. As a sailor for most of my life I couldn’t keep pets, but when I retired I made up for it.
Paul,
Sorry to hear that your beloved pet has passed. Dogs and Cats become more family than pets. I had my best friend put to sleep because there was little they could do for him. I had my cat for 17 years and he developed Diabetes and he just got to where his insulin was not doing any good. He was having seizures and no way to stop it. I mad the toughest call in my life that day. It still hurts to this very day. He was more like a dog in his personality. He followed me everywhere and sat next to the door when somehow he knew I was coming home.
Sorry for your loss and my heart felt sympathy to you and your family.
Scott;
If the pet is in pain, then you did the correct thing, as we would never allow them to suffer. Mini was alright until her last week, I knew we were going to lose her but the Vet said she was not hurting. Each pet is special in their own particular way.
I have had to put a couple of my dogs out of their misery. It magnified mine.
Loren;
If they are in pain I agree.
Hi Paul, yes it’s a sad day when you lose a pet they become more like family,
I’ve got a dog giving to us when we first moved here 8 years ago so I’m not sure
How old he his , he follows me everywhere I’ll miss him when the time comes
I like to think we have given him a good life, he has his faults like digging up the wife’s
Flowers now and again but he’s a good natured dog , he lets me know when it’s dinner time lol, thanks for the post Paul, Derek in pasig.
Derek;
Each dog will have their peccadillos, but that’s why they are so endearing to us.
Hi Paul,
Sorry to hear this news, I’ve been through this too.
Keep your chin up my friend.
Chas;
Yes it will happen again, I’ll never stop offering my home to a dog that needs it.
Hi Paul
We have a Labrador Retriever at our home in Davao. I still get the best greeting from her whenever I return from my work abroad. She is getting on in age now and slowing up but can still manage to run like a loopy around the house when I return. Regrets it the next day though I think!
I have always had dogs and probably will always have them.
Cheers
AJ UK
AJ-UK
I’ve had two pure breed Labs a black one and a Chocolate one, two of the most wonderful dogs I’ve had and all the other dogs have been great. But my vet told me that large pure breeds do not last as long in the high temperatures of the tropics. Neither lasted over 5 years, but mixed breeds do very well. I really don’t know if that is an old wives tale or not. But I still have 12 dogs with me and will wait and see if I adopt any more.
Funny you should say that Paul. Out vet told us that our dog would only last 7 years. She’s 8 1/2 now so outdoing expectations.
The hardest thing is looking after her weight when I’m not there. I can give instructions about amounts and how many meals etc but people do not understand that when giving the scraps of pork etc they are killing her with their kindness. Like all of us, she will put on weight if over fed.
I’ve made the decision that I will not get another dog in the PI until I can be there on a more regular basis to look after it as it should be.
AJ UK;
In 1964 I left my dog with my family when I went to the Navy, but because I made so many cruises a pet was impractical, But in 1999 when I retired I went nuts and at one time had 16 dogs, with land enough to care for them. Almost 40 years without any dogs was long enough. I did have an African Gray parrot in my bar in Puerto Rico, but when I left we had a raffle to see who got to keep the bird. The bird still lives in Puerto Rico and as of the last I heard it was doing fine.
Mr. Paul T. From a guy who have seen a lot while working for Uncle Sam, ” invisible ninjas” still bring onions to my eyes when one of the family pets passes away. I get very upset too. You are a compassionate man.
Jose;
Dogs are special, and I tolerate the cat that has lived with me forever.
Sorry to read about the loss of one of your dogs Paul. I had 3 of them but they passed away years ago. I still keep a supply of dog biscuits and hand them out to neighborhood dogs when I see them go by the front of my house.
Bob NY;
That is a nice thing to do, when you no longer have one of your own.
Well written. I just wish dogs could live as long as humans. ..
Denzil;
That is the best suggestion, I’ve ever heard. I wonder if we could put them on our Social Security?
Hi Paul,
Sorry to hear about the loss of your dog friend Mini. Even though you have many other dogs, it seemed that she was special to you.
We were always cat people we thought, but after having our two outdoor askal dogs Cutie and Tiger, we found out what we had been missing. Never realized how much entertaining company dogs can be, and how each one has their own distinct personality.
Cutie can be aloof like a cat, but is so cute and comical. Tiger, a brindle, is orange with black stripes. He’s a sensitive dog that is interested in everything that you’re doing and loves to watch and follow you around all the time.
They’re good watchdogs too, but don’t bark unless they’re alerting us about someone at the gate or when defending their turf.
They used to be taken care of by my husband’s brother who was the caretaker of our house. They were pretty skinny and nervous then, but now they eat a lot and get nice baths, so they’re pretty happy and content.
Life can be cheap here sometimes, and we try to brace ourselves for the thought that they won’t always be here with us, but like you, we appreciate their love and attention and feel good for having known them so far.
It must have been nice to have a dog like Mini for so many years into her old age. I hope Cutie and Tiger are with us for a long time too. Maybe some time you could tell us about your other dogs in your army.
Queenie
Queenie;
As with people dogs are each unique in a different way, Mini was the one who would do no wrong. At 10 weeks old she was a wild little puppy who was still fully house trained, as long as you got her signals and paid attention. As I said above I\ll never figure how she knew I was returning home after being to sea. My daughters never mastered that trick. We have the one 19 year old cat, that the girls left us when they got married, The pusa and I have had a truce since I retired, But she only likes the female of our species.
Hi Paul,
Sorry for the loss of your friend and companion. On calculating dog years, I think the new formula is more accurate, but requires a little more work. Unconditional love in a human is illogical and I would actually argue, if I felt like arguing which I do not, is a bad thing. In a dog you are right you get unconditional love and that is a great thing!
Peace be with you and your friend and companion.
Jay
Jay;
That is true, the closest you can come to unconditional love is with parents, but some people can strain that.
My two beach dogs, yes, they were born on the beach, a fisherman family, are the best thing to keep me in shape. We go hiking in the jungle for 30 min every day. There are no other dogs in the jungle but occasionally we encounter a cobra which becomes a dead cobra in a few seconds. Between two of them, they have learned how to kill it.
It’s just amazing how they do it. One will bark to her face while the other grabs her from behind and tears her apart.
It makes my walking safe.
However, a karabao or a cow scares the s*it out of them. They keep at least 10m distance from those.
They are only 5 and 6 years old. One is fat (born fat) while the other is normal.
It’s a question mark who will outlive whom.
Sorry for your dog Paul, I know how you feel. An sm or two, does feel good when these things happen.
Palawan Bob;
My Chocolate Lab during a daily walk started a stampede when we encountered 3 karabao being led by a farmer. Coco just wanted to play with them, they split and ran. The farmer was a tad angry with me.
It would be a good test if me and my dogs ran into a snake, I wonder if those dogs could keep up with me when I start running. (LOL)
Paul,
Sorry for your loss. Do not worry as all dogs go to heaven and Mini will be waiting there with the rest of your pack. I don’t give any credence to those rumors about no beer though.
Gerald;
Ben Franklin once said; “Beer is the proof that God does loves us If heaven ain’t a lot like the Philippines, then I don’t want to go.
We have our Shih Tzu Lucky. We got him when we were in Hawaii 10 years ago. He flew with us to the mainland and went back and forth across the US twice. He is now with us here in Paoay. My wife and I are taking a trip soon out of country for a few days. We have been training our two house helpers to take care of the little guy. It is comical to see how a little Shih Tzu will so easily get his way with the girls. Sooner or later we will get more dogs but this guy definitely will continue to be the most spoiled of the pack. We have taken him on a few trips here in the Philippines, but it is a little difficult finding hotels that allow dogs.
Gary;
We have 4 Shih Tzu’s all given to us, that is one on the stairs beside Mini but we keep her hair very short so it doesn’t tangle and she stays cooler, She (Goldie) is 11 years old and is another great dog, now the new “Dona” (Eldest dog) They are a fun little dog.
Sorry to hear about Mini Paul. I consider myself a damn tough person, and when I lost my German Shepherd 6 years I cried like a baby. God, I so much miss him.
But we all can tell than Mini enjoyed a really good life with the love you and her family showed her.
And by the way, the dog and the woman in the trunk comment was fantastic!!
Todd;
Dogs are special alright…But the dog and women in the car trunk analogy is something I don’t recommend. You could wake up with the dog and one half of your stuff missing. (LOL)
Dogs do get into your heart, don’t they? Cats, not so much. When your dog dies, you go thru the 5 stages of grief. When your cat goes, you just get another cat. Cats are the Bic lighter of pets. Dogs are true friends.
Allan;
If we were on a ship together, I would turn to you and shout; “Allan, stand by for heavy rolls!” As I dashed for the nearest lifeboat. You and your cat comments are on your own….(LOL)
‘grets & conds. Luv me pups & knows da angst.
(Comin’ outta bad start to Year of the Monkey – too many monkeyshines.)