HELOISE New chart will add years to your dog's life

Dear Readers: Many of us who have dogs in our family wonder just what age they are in human years. It was always thought that when a dog is a year old, it is about 7 in our years. Well, guess what? Here is the update, according to the American Animal Hospital Association.
A year-old puppy is actually a teen of about 16 years in human life, so when he or she is running wild, you now know that you have a teenager on your hands! The following is a chart from the AAHA to help you understand the age in dog and human years:
Dog Human
8 months 13 years
1 year 16 years
2 years 24 years
3 years 28 years
5 years 36 years
7 years 44 years
9 years 52 years
11 years 60 years
13 years 68 years
15 years 76 years
Larger dogs such as Great Danes don't have as long a life span as smaller and toy breeds. Small dogs age much more slowly than large breeds. Some small breeds can live a healthy, long life -- some as old as 18 to 20 years (in dog years). Heloise
Dear Readers: Theresa Fielder of Havre de Grace, Md., sent a photo of her two beautiful orange-and-white cats, Ricky and Lucky. The photo shows them going after a balloon in identical poses. These two kitties were rescued and are now enjoying a good life. Send your favorite pet photo to: Heloise/Pet Photo, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279. Visit my Web site, www.Heloise.com, and click on This Week's Pet to see cute little Ricky and Lucky. Heloise
Dear Heloise: Last spring, red finches made a nest stuffed behind a small wall decoration of flowers on our back porch. From my back door, I watched quite often as most of the baby birds grew and left.
Surprisingly, though, from beneath what must have been a crowded pile of birds in the nest, there appeared a last, pitiful, sick-looking baby bird. To the rescue came its father with mouthfuls of food very often.
On its final day in the nest, a strong baby bird looked at me, flapped its wings and chirped loudly. I imagined it saying to me, "Bye, I hope I can learn to fly today!" Soon the male bird came, sharing only a tiny bit of food that time. It circled over the nest as the last baby finch made a loud chirp, as if to say, "I'm right behind you, Daddy!" Away the two birds flew. Vera Underwood, Hickory, N.C.
What a wonderful story! Bird-watching is a great pastime, especially watching baby birds from the beginning until they fly away. Heloise
King Features Syndicate