Abstract
Based on the Chiang's method, the life table for dogs was constructed from the death data composed on 4915 dogs. They died in the Kanto area and were buried in an animal cemetery in Tokyo from June 1981 through May 1982. This life table seems to be the first one for domestic pet dogs. A fundamental pattern of probability of dying for dogs, which is the base of a life table, is similar to that for man. Therefore, this life table for dogs seems to present the mortality and survival experience of the current population of the dogs accurately. The expectation of life for dogs was 8.3 years at age 0, 8.6 years at age 1, 6.1 years at age 5, 3.5 years at age 10, and 1.6 years at age 15. The expectation of life at age 1 (e1) seems to be more suitable indicator of health of dogs than that at age 0 (e0), because the e0 is more sensitive to an artificial influence by the dog's owner than e1. The life table was constructed for different breeds and localities. Comparing the e1 of two populations divided into breeds and localities, there were significant differences in the e1 among different breeds and localities. These facts suggest the existence of some factors which may influence the life span of dogs among different breeds and localities.
