Sunshine dogs

As a general rule, dogs over 5 years old are considered 'too old' to be adopted by the general public and are usually passed over for adoption.  At TLC, we've saved enough dogs to know just how wrong this notion is.  Generally these small dog breeds between 5 and 10 years old are the best dogs to adopt because they are past the chewing puppy stage, the potty training issues and have blown out all of that high energy that drives most of us crazy!  They are settled into good canine manners and seek out human companionship... and make great dogs to adopt.  We call them our 'sunshine dogs' because of the warmth and sunshine they bring into your life without the stress of puppyhood, training, potty training, barking issues, etc.

Small dog breeds over 10 years are settled into being more of a couch potato than a "high energy, gotta go, let's stay busy" kind of dog who gets bored easily and becomes destructive more rapidly.  These seniors make better adoptable dogs for folks that work during the day and will tend to hang around on a couch and sleep while they wait for their human BFFs to come and love up on them.

However, because you are older and/or retired, that is no reason to die.  Older dogs do not necessarily have higher vet bills - in fact, the most expensive years in any dog's life is the first two.  If you are interested in adopting an older or more mellower dog because of your lifestyle, you will find we 'discount' sunshine dogs at 10 years and older to a $200 tax deductible adoption donation.  Your new BFF will still be up to date on their shots (including rabies), spayed or neutered, microchipped and licensed for the County of Ventura.

BTW, 'dog years' are a representation of of how old a dog would be if he lived as long as a human.  On average, dogs age seven times as quickly as humans. Because of this factor, it is inaccurately assumed that 1 equals 7 human years and therefore a 10-year old dog is really 70 years old. This is probably the most popular technique for estimating a dog's physical age compared to his actual age, but probably the most inaccurate.

Dogs mature much more quickly than humans do. Dogs have shorter childhoods and much longer adulthood periods than humans do. Dogs start walking at three weeks and small dog breeds reach sexual maturity at 6 months. If we use the seven-for-one rule, that would be the same as a human toddler walking at two months or a human child having babies at 4 years old!!

Also, while a 15-year-old dog would be considered the equivalent of a 105-year-old person, many more dogs live to be 15 than humans live to be 105.

A more accurate formula would be: 10 and 1/2 dog years for the first two years, then four dog years per year thereafter. However, this formula does not take the dog's size into consideration. We know that most small dogs tend to live longer than large dogs - in fact, twice as long on the average.  It is almost impossible to find a Great Dane 15 years old, but most Chihuahuas live 15-20 years.

One way to handle the influence of size on a dog's aging is to change the multiplication factor used once a dog is past two years old.  Other factors that come into play as to how long your rescue dog will live cannot be accurately calculated on any chart: how overweight they are and if they have had decent dental care (poor dental care affects the heart and blood stream).

There are numerous calculators on the Internet that take into account weight.  Add that age to the one above and divide in half - you'll come up with a close enough guess.