A new research study has revealed which dog breeds have the longest and shortest life expectancy in the UK.
According to the research – which has been conducted by the Royal Veterinary College, and is an analysis based on a random sample of 30,563 dogs from 18 different breeds and crossbreeds that died between 1 January 2016 and 31 July 2020 – Jack Russell Terriers have been found to live longer than any other breed, while French Bulldogs have the lowest life expectancy.
Jack Russell Terriers had the greatest life expectancy at 12.7 years, which was closely followed by Yorkshire Terriers at 12.5 years, and Border Collies at 12.1 years.
Springer Spaniels are next at 11.9 years, and crossbred rounds out the top five with 11.8 years.
On the flip side, four flat-faced dog breeds were found to have the shortest life expectancy in the UK, with French Bulldogs expected to live only 4.5 years, followed by English Bulldogs at 7.4 years, Pugs at 7.65 years, and American Bulldogs at 7.8 years.
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🐕 New research from our @VetCompass programme now enables owners to predict the remaining life expectancy of their dog from different ages, with results broken down by breed and gender to make these as useful as possible for owners of many breeds.
— Royal Veterinary College (RVC) (@RoyalVetCollege) April 28, 2022
As well as the differences in breed, the new research also found that there was a difference between the life expectancies of male and female dogs – with males living four months less on average.
And in both male and female dogs, neutered dogs were found to have a longer life expectancy than their non-neutered counterparts.
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Life expectancy was previously calculated using only the average age of death of dogs overall or for a particular breed, but researchers at the Royal Veterinary College say that this latest study is the most accurate data, as they used life tables to allow owners to estimate accurately how much longer their pet dog may live.
Life tables are tools that list the remaining life expectancy and probability of death across a range of age groups in any given population.
A new study has revealed which dog breeds have the longest and shortest life expectancy in the UK / Credit: Flickr | Giorgio Trovato (via Unsplash)
Speaking on the findings of the study, Dr Dan O’Neil – Associate Professor in Companion Animal Epidemiology at the Royal Veterinary College, and co-author of the paper – said: “Dogs have helped so many humans get through loneliness and isolation of the COVID pandemic.
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“These new VetCompass Life tables enable owners to now estimate how much longer they can benefit from these dogs.”
Dr Justine Shotton, President at the British Veterinary Association – also added that the lower life expectancy of some of the flat-faced breeds that appeared at the bottom end of the list, may encourage people to consider “health over looks”.
The Chestergate pub in Stockport is at it again with some of the most wonderfully Manc scenes you’ll ever see
Danny Jones
The legendary Chestergate pub in Stockport is back with another belter of a video, following on from their viral belly-flashing clip of 2022.
The Mersey Square boozer has painted yet another quintessentially Northern depiction of UK pub culture with the latest Manc scenes they’ve captured around the karaoke machine.
If you’ve never had the pleasure of stumbling into The Chestergate in Stockport town centre, the long-standing boozer currently operated by publican chain Blind Tiger Inns, you’re seriously missing out.
While it might not be the flashiest of pubs, when it comes to entertainment, it always delivers.
Whether it’s stunts like renaming themselves ‘The Southgate’ whenever the Euros or World Cup rolls around, or the locals just genuinely having a whale of a time no matter what day of the week it is, it really sums up the best of pub culture.
The Chestergate went viral for some of the most British footage ever caught on film back in 2022 and the videos saw a huge wave of love and support flooding in for the pub, as well as a healthy amount of chuckles. Safe to say we were chuffed to see them pop back up on our feed again recently.
Karaoke night at The Chestergate literally never disappoints.
Forget ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ or ‘Champagne Supernova’ for karaoke songs – we’ll take a cacophony of inaudible throwback pop music, whilst another bloke and his hype man try and MC over a totally ill-fitting beat any day of the week.
And that’s handy because you’ll find those kinds of shenanigans happening at this place all the time.
It’s simultaneously one of the most no-nonsense and somehow a non-stop shenanigan-filled paradise. They also look after their own and consider their regulars part of the family. Case and point: they threw their very own ‘Dancing Queen’ Molly a big bash for her 86th birthday and it’s such wholesome viewing.
At this point, it’s worth flagging that we have nothing but envy for these folks and anyone who’s just out there having the time of their lives on any random weeknight.
Yes, it produced plenty of laughs for those watching online in recent times but this lot won’t mind one bit – not only is the pub seeing more and more new faces through the door but that’s the whole point of a pub, isn’t it? Going for a pint with your nearest and dearest and having a laugh.
Not only is it very Manchester but it’s Britain at its very best.
We hope to see you at The Chestergate pub in Stockport for a pint or two sometime soon and we’re making a bit of a prat of ourselves, don’t worry, we’re sure they’ll have the cameras ready for you.
Tailgaters and middle lane hoggers warned to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style
Emily Sergeant
A warning has been issued to tailgaters and motorway middle lane hoggers urging them to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style.
Do you find yourself guilty of two of the biggest driving sins from time to time?
Well, according to the latest figures released by National Highways, one in three motorists have admitted to middle lane hogging in their lives, while one in four have committed acts of tailgating on some of the UK’s fastest roads.
These shocking survey findings – which were released back in early March as the Government-owned road management company launched a new campaign – showed that lane hogging was among the behaviours that are most likely to cause motorists and passengers to feel ‘frustrated’, and tailgating was most likely to cause feelings of unease, stress, and anxiety.
Nearly a third (32%) of drivers admitted to lane hogging ‘at least occasionally’ while driving on England’s motorways and major A roads, according to the survey – which polled 2,500 adults between the ages of 16-75.
On top of this, almost seven in ten adults in England (67%) said close following or tailgating is a ‘serious problem’ on these types of roads, but nearly a quarter (23%) admitted to doing it from time to time.
Tut-tut.
Tailgaters and middle lane hoggers have been warned to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style (Credit: IPTC/Ronald Hudson)
It’s these very statistics which have led National Highways to issue an urgent warning that calls on these motorists to “carefully consider” their driving habits, as “little changes can change everything”.
Lane hogging and tailgating both fall under the offence of ‘careless driving’ in England, with the country’s police forces having the power to hand out on-the-spot fines of £100 and three penalty points to those who commit such offences.
“Middle lane hogging and tailgating are far more than mere annoyances for drivers,” warned RAC road safety spokesperson, Rod Dennis, adding that these actions “put everyone on the roads at risk.”
If you’re too close to the vehicle in front, you’re tailgating. This is very dangerous and could lead to a collision. Always leave at least a two-second gap and make sure you follow the advice from The Highway Code.
He continued in his reaction to the release of the latest National Highways figures: “Closely following another motorist could easily result in a serious collision should the driver ahead need to brake sharply for any reason, so the fact nearly one in four drivers admitted to doing so on some of England’s fastest and busiest roads is frightening”.
Mr Dennis said he understands that offenders “might find these habits hard to kick”, but that’s why the urgent calls for motorists to make changes are “so important”.
“By understanding that how we choose to drive affects others, we can each make a real difference to the safety of our roads,” he concluded.
Emily Sergeant -
29th April 2022 
