This Is the Shortest Living Dog Breed in the World

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By Douglas A. McIntyre Published
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This Is the Shortest Living Dog Breed in the World

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Every dog owner has a reason for getting a pet, whether it is companionship, protection or simply to have a furry friend to walk with. Each breed comes with perks and challenges, and owners must be prepared to accommodate each type of dog’s unique health requirements to maximize their lifespan, because the reality is that some kinds of dogs are genetically predisposed to live much longer than others do.

In order to determine the shortest and longest living dog breeds in the world, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the study, “Methods and mortality results of a health survey of purebred dogs in the UK,” published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice. Breeds for which there was little data or low response rates on surveys sent to owners were not considered. Breeds not officially recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC) also were not considered. Breed popularity data, as well as height (at the dog’s shoulder) and weight data, come from the AKC.

Numerous studies have determined that there is a significant link between the size of a dog and the length of its lifespan. Larger dogs have noticeably shorter lifespans than smaller ones, as they age at a faster rate. Yet size and lifespan do not correlate exactly, as certain types of dogs are especially prone to maladies like cancer or heart problems.

Pet owners may choose smaller dogs over larger ones because, in addition to their longer lifespans, they are more convenient to house and cheaper to feed, and many apartments do not allow dogs over a certain size. Yet many Americans still choose medium-size or large dogs. Most of the 10 most popular dogs tend to reach 50 pounds or more at full maturity. These are the most popular dog breeds in America.
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Dog owners must consider the health needs of the pet they plan to bring home, whether that is lots of exercise or a special diet. They also must consider their own health. An estimated 10% to 20% of the population is allergic to dogs and cats, although there are still options. No dog is completely hypoallergenic, but plenty of breeds live well with allergy sufferers. These are the most allergy-friendly dog breeds.

The Dogue de Bordeaux has a median lifespan of just 3.8 years. According to the AKC, the breed’s popularity ranks it 67 out of the 193 measured. They are fairly large, with an average height of 23.27 inches for males and a range of 23 to 26 inches for females. The average weight for males is 110 pounds or higher, and for females 99 pounds or more. According to the AKC, “The most ancient of French dog breeds, the Dogue de Bordeaux (‘Mastiff of Bordeaux’) was around even before France was France.”
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Photo of Douglas A. McIntyre
About the Author Douglas A. McIntyre →

Douglas A. McIntyre is the co-founder, chief executive officer and editor in chief of 24/7 Wall St. and 24/7 Tempo. He has held these jobs since 2006.

McIntyre has written thousands of articles for 24/7 Wall St. He is an expert on corporate finance, the automotive industry, media companies and international finance. He has edited articles on national demographics, sports, personal income and travel.

His work has been quoted or mentioned in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, NBC News, Time, The New Yorker, HuffPost USA Today, Business Insider, Yahoo, AOL, MarketWatch, The Atlantic, Bloomberg, New York Post, Chicago Tribune, Forbes, The Guardian and many other major publications. McIntyre has been a guest on CNBC, the BBC and television and radio stations across the country.

A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College, McIntyre also was president of The Harvard Advocate. Founded in 1866, the Advocate is the oldest college publication in the United States.

TheStreet.com, Comps.com and Edgar Online are some of the public companies for which McIntyre served on the board of directors. He was a Vicinity Corporation board member when the company was sold to Microsoft in 2002. He served on the audit committees of some of these companies.

McIntyre has been the CEO of FutureSource, a provider of trading terminals and news to commodities and futures traders. He was president of Switchboard, the online phone directory company. He served as chairman and CEO of On2 Technologies, the video compression company that provided video compression software for Adobe’s Flash. Google bought On2 in 2009.

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