Heres a link to a story in todays sun

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...es-at-147.html

Thats taking it to the extreme!

It's probably not that unusual, but my last gerbil Dinky was almost 6 when he died which is pretty good going for a little rodent.

My mum's Collie/GSD crossbreed lived to 19½, and might well have gone to 21 had he not developed cancer - so I don't think 21 is outrageously old for a dog.

I do think their figure of 147 is rather optomistic though.
The old 'standard' of 7 dog years per human year is known these days to be over simplistic, and to give inflated results when a dog gets beyond about 5 or 6 years old.

Depending on size, a dog is reckoned to age 12-15 years in the first year - then 7-10 years in the 2nd year - then about 5 per year after that (dogs reach adulthood fast, then slow down)
So 21 works out at about 115 - 120

It's also thought that once dogs get beyond about 10, their ageing slows a tad further, to maybe 4 per year - which could possibly bring another 10 or 12 off that figure...

Still - 100-odd is a damn good innings though
I'd settle for that myself, VERY happily.

And if my dog gets much beyond 15, I'll be happy with that too.

Just to make everyone aware - that is a misleading headline. I've checked and the figure 147 is actually DOG YEARS!!

Disapointing!

our old gerbil was at least 5 when he passed away a while back, his brother was 4 when he died and he just carried on, i thought he would be with us forever. we owned them for 5 years and they were full grown when we got them.

so far my old dog is 10 next month, shes just starting to show her age sometimes, i hope she has a fair few years ahead of her yet though.

goldfish, in a glass bowl, 21 years.

his name was bob (he used to tell you his name all the time )
he had a permanent curve in his spine form the bowl, but i find 20+ years in a bowl to be an outstanding innings

my hamster died last month he would have been 5 in november

My friends old sheepdog was also 21 when it died in the early 2000's

My dear old cat died in May, aged 23!

Our hammy is now 4 and fit as a fiddle.