Sheltie lifespan

[Tracy]

Lifespan

My first sheltie lived to be 16 years (Hobo). Not sure on the cause of death. My second, Webster, died at 15 years from renal failure, My third, keno died at 6 years due to cancer in his kidney.

Indie has promised me that he will be around a long time as he has many things to do in his life

 

[Smudge]

Gizmo was the first sheltie I had. He lived to be a little over 11 years old (not much older than 11 years at all). He was deaf when he died.

 

[RonandJan]

Our Cleveland died at 7 years old of cancer. Too soon, too young!

I have made McKinley promise me the average of 15, hmmm how old will that make me.................young enough for another puppy is what it will make me.

SIDEBAR NOTE: Ron's uncle died at 101 (this past year) and had the wonderful experience to have been friends to 8 shelties in his lifetime (He owned them one at a time, not multiples like we do today). All the dogs lived very full lives into their teens. He would tell people that he was very blessed and proud of those relationships.

 

[Lightplum]

Our Cleveland died at 7 years old of cancer. Too soon, too young!

I have made McKinley promise me the average of 15, hmmm how old will that make me.................young enough for another puppy is what it will make me.

SIDEBAR NOTE: Ron's uncle died at 101 (this past year) and had the wonderful experience to have been friends to 8 shelties in his lifetime (He owned them one at a time, not multiples like we do today). All the dogs lived very full lives into their teens. He would tell people that he was very blessed and proud of those relationships.

Our first one was 14 than the second one we had only made it too 11 He has many health issues and was poorly bred.

Side note 101!!!!!!!!WOW!!!!!! maybe shelties are the key to a loonngg life

 

[Narmowen]

I lost my first at 9. My grandmother's have ranged from 11 to 16.

 

[Lahree]

Honey was 15 and we had to have her put to sleep. She could barely walk and had just plain given up and she was unhappy, even at home.

Jazz was 13 and one month. He was deaf for about the two years before his death but in excellent health otherwise and then all of the sudden, without any kind of warning he had a seizure one day. He almost instantly recovered from that, but then he had a second seizure 72 hours later that he never recovered from and we had to have him put to sleep to end his torment.

Ellie is 18 months old an has tried to die 3 times. We keep putting her back together with duct tape and bailing wire and we'll see if we can't get her to live a long, long time.

 

[ClantyreSheltie]

We lost one at almost 6 to Juvenile Kidney disease, and one at 11 to an unknown seizure disorder. Our commercially bred rescue dog is 13 1/2 and still running and chasing tennis balls.

The family of dogs I have now (unrelated to the above) are fairly robust. Marque's sire will be 13 this year, his dam just turned 9, her dam is 13 (got her last point to finish at almost 11). Their g-dam Penny was 15+ when she died.

I have a friend with a mini poodle who turned 18 this week. She still brings him to all the agility trials, walks him around (not carries, she makes him walk), still asks for "high fives". He has no teeth, so she soaks his Orijens for him. He ran agility well into his 14th year, and her next oldest dog is 12 years old (a sheltie) and still winning the 12 inch Exc B class regularly.

So I think it has to do with the people as much as the dogs.

 

[Smudge]

This post is really informing to me in an odd sort of way. It seems most of the dogs either die at around 6-8 years or 11-15 years.

 

[romeosangiovese]

My first sheltie passed away at 16 years of age. His organs just shut down. He wasn't moving much in the months leading up to his death and he waited until we were all around him before passing on. :sadsmile:

 

[BarbV]

Timber died of a lung tumour at just over age 12.

The Sheltie I had growing up, Callie, died around age 13 or 14.

I've set my expectations around that line.

I expect an age span of 10 to 14 years for my pups. Anything else would be bonus. Ironically, the two cats that I had previously, that I kinda wished would just go away, kept going and going to age 18. These were not nice cats. They hated everybody. All they did was eat food.