rlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22536727rl
The evidence in the article is backed up by my own extensive research involving my own golden retriever Jake and two brother-in-laws and one close friend who are/were all police dog handlers - longevity in dogs is DEFINITELY connected to idleness
A police dog is normally retired at around seven years of age after years of living out of doors in kennels, being walked around the streets, chasing ne'er-do-wells, being thrown over walls and down embankments after ne'er-do-wells etc etc etc, after retirement, my research has proved, that they don't tend to live beyond their tenth birthdays, being worn out through hard work and all.
Jake was one month beyond his 13th birthday when the cancer claimed him and like the Irish Wolfhound in that BBC article had a lifetime of relaxing behind him, and like the Labrador took his exercise when running away from things that spooked him, like plastic bags or Cable TV street cabinets that hummed, that sort of thing.
Its a regime that I am also proud to follow - all of my friends of the same age as me now have fooked up knees, one has a hip thats completely worn away, at least one has already had a heart attack and when I sit with them in a pub our corner stinks of fiery jack and they all moan when they stand up, I on the other hand have hardly ever troubled the NHS with an ailment (so far) - the main difference is that they all played football at Sunday League and five-a-side level until recently, one still plays but he is also mental - they've all knackered themselves completely whilst I lived a sedentary life and still have parts of me that haven't been used yet.
Seriously folks, stick the gym membership in the back of the drawer and sit down for a nice cup of coffee and some chocolate cake, no-one ever died from relaxing.
