The Life and Death of a Dog
Back to Peternity Articles page
02/25/2008
Dogs trace their ancestry back about 40 million years to a five-toed, animal like a weasel known as Miacis, a tree-climbing carnivore which lived in the Eocene epoch. A forebear of the cat, raccoon, bear, hyena, and civet, as well as of the wolf, fox, jackal, and dog, the Miacis lived in a den.
Peternity.com's Founder Colleen Mihelich knows, small or medium-size dogs usually live to be around 15 years of age, and large dogs live to be about ten years old. The average number of litters that a fertile dog can produce in one year is two, while the average number of puppies in a canine litter is between six and ten. Fetal puppies grow in their mother's womb before they are or born, often known as whelped. Puppies drink milk from their mother until they are weaned, at which point they’re able to eat solid food. Weaning time depends upon the litter size and the amount of milk in the mother dog, or bitch, and can typically be as early as three weeks. Puppies should not be weaned any later than their seventh week.
A puppy gets what are know as its milk teeth, or baby teeth that are mostly incisors and canines, during anywhere from week three to six. By month three, the first of the permanent teeth come in and the dog should have all its teeth by the seventh month.
On average, a ten-month-old dog is sexually mature, while smaller female dogs go into their first heat and are able to mate at an earlier age than large dogs. Dogs are sexually mature beforehand; a dog ordinarily does not attain full growth until it’s one year old, and sometimes even later. A puppy becomes a mature dog by the time it is one year old. Female dogs usually go into heat about every six months and will mate within the three-week time period the heat.
Dogs are responsive beings – like when it meets another dog, its ear position will indicate its interest level. If the ears are erect, it is probably happily focusing on the other dog, but if its ears are pointing forward, it is on the alert. When a dog wags its tail and holds it high it means that the animal is confident and happy, however if it drops the tail and remains still, it means the dog is apprehensive. When a dog puts its tail between its legs, it means that it is afraid.
When it comes to interacting with people, if a dog growls or pulls its lips back to expose teeth when meeting a person, or another dog, this means it is making a threat, and if it bares its teeth with no growling that means the dog is ready to bite and attack. Males tend to establish territories by marking areas with urine, and a scent from the anal glands, as well as feces. Dogs tend to defend their boundaries of territory so that intruders will not get in.
Once a dog begins to reach old age, the first sign is that the eyes begin to weaken whereby they cloud and cataracts may form in the eye’s lenses. Its hair begins to slowly turn gray, and it’s evident that older dogs are suffering from various aches and pains. Uncomfortable older dogs might become agitated and even snap at members of the family. As the dog’s systems break down with old age, it is readying itself for death.
When a dog has had a stroke, its kidneys fail, and it stops eating, or other dogs around it begin to snap and push it away, the time has probably come for death, and if the dog is suffering, your veterinarian will know if the dog should be put to sleep, or euthanized.
Our pets are an integral part of our lives, and even though they have been alongside us every day, the loss we feel when we lose them can be very painful. As difficult as the death of a pet can be there are ways that a dog’s life can be celebrated, as we honor its life via a pet memorial.
In addition to pet urns, grave markers and cat urns, Peternity.com also has special web pages for virtual online pet memorials so that people have the opportunity to honor their pets, which helps us through our grieving just a little bit more. Anyone can create their own living memorial for their pet. To submit a memorial, please email your text and photo to submissions@peternity.com. This service is free.
A puppy gets what are know as its milk teeth, or baby teeth that are mostly incisors and canines, during anywhere from week three to six. By month three, the first of the permanent teeth come in and the dog should have all its teeth by the seventh month.
On average, a ten-month-old dog is sexually mature, while smaller female dogs go into their first heat and are able to mate at an earlier age than large dogs. Dogs are sexually mature beforehand; a dog ordinarily does not attain full growth until it’s one year old, and sometimes even later. A puppy becomes a mature dog by the time it is one year old. Female dogs usually go into heat about every six months and will mate within the three-week time period the heat.
Dogs are responsive beings – like when it meets another dog, its ear position will indicate its interest level. If the ears are erect, it is probably happily focusing on the other dog, but if its ears are pointing forward, it is on the alert. When a dog wags its tail and holds it high it means that the animal is confident and happy, however if it drops the tail and remains still, it means the dog is apprehensive. When a dog puts its tail between its legs, it means that it is afraid.
When it comes to interacting with people, if a dog growls or pulls its lips back to expose teeth when meeting a person, or another dog, this means it is making a threat, and if it bares its teeth with no growling that means the dog is ready to bite and attack. Males tend to establish territories by marking areas with urine, and a scent from the anal glands, as well as feces. Dogs tend to defend their boundaries of territory so that intruders will not get in.
Once a dog begins to reach old age, the first sign is that the eyes begin to weaken whereby they cloud and cataracts may form in the eye’s lenses. Its hair begins to slowly turn gray, and it’s evident that older dogs are suffering from various aches and pains. Uncomfortable older dogs might become agitated and even snap at members of the family. As the dog’s systems break down with old age, it is readying itself for death.
When a dog has had a stroke, its kidneys fail, and it stops eating, or other dogs around it begin to snap and push it away, the time has probably come for death, and if the dog is suffering, your veterinarian will know if the dog should be put to sleep, or euthanized.
Our pets are an integral part of our lives, and even though they have been alongside us every day, the loss we feel when we lose them can be very painful. As difficult as the death of a pet can be there are ways that a dog’s life can be celebrated, as we honor its life via a pet memorial.
In addition to pet urns, grave markers and cat urns, Peternity.com also has special web pages for virtual online pet memorials so that people have the opportunity to honor their pets, which helps us through our grieving just a little bit more. Anyone can create their own living memorial for their pet. To submit a memorial, please email your text and photo to submissions@peternity.com. This service is free.
Technorati Tags: dog urns, pet protrait and art, pet casket, pet memorial stones, pet memorials, pet urn, dog urn, pet urns, pet memorial, cat urns, pet cremation memorial