New study identifies dog breeds with the longest lifespans
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Small, long-nosed dog breeds tend to live longer than their flat-faced counterparts.
Researchers analysed purebred dogs, taking into account size, face shape, and sex. They found that small, long-nosed female dogs live the longest on average, reaching a median lifespan of 13.3 years.
However, the news isn't great for flat-faced breeds.
These popular pups, with their squished snouts, have a shorter median lifespan of 11.2 years and a 40% higher risk of dying young compared to dogs with medium-length snouts, like spaniels.
Lead author of the study Kirsten McMillan, data manager at the UK charity Dogs Trust, said it was the first study to look at how life expectancy varies across such a broad range of factors, including breed, size, face shape, and gender. "A medium-sized, flat-face male like an English bulldog is nearly three times more likely to live a shorter life than a small-sized, long-faced female, like a miniature dachshund or an Italian greyhound," she told AFP.
Out of more than 150 breeds and crossbreeds across the UK, the median life expectancy for all dogs was 12.5 years.
But for French bulldogs, ranked the most popular breed in the United States last year by the American Kennel Club, the number was just 9.8 years.
Previous research has suggested that the short noses of flat-faced, also called brachycephalic, dogs allow them to more closely resemble human babies, rendering them particularly cute to their owners. But those short noses also cause significant breathing problems.
Dan O'Neill, chair of the campaign organisation Brachycephalic Working Group, said the study further highlighted the "health and welfare crisis" suffered by these hugely popular breeds.
"It is crucial that the public prioritises health over what they might think looks 'cute', and we urge anyone considering getting a flat-faced breed to stop and think," he said.
The research found that Lancashire heelers have the longest life expectancy at 15.4 years, followed by Tibetan spaniels (15.2 years) and miniature dachshunds (14 years). Interestingly, the popular Labrador Retriever scored 13.1 years.
The study also revealed that female dogs generally live longer than males (12.7 years vs. 12.4 years), and purebred dogs live slightly longer than mixed breeds, contradicting previous findings.