Three boxes of ashes sit on Mark Vette’s desk. There’s Monty, the shaggy giant schnauzer cross who was one of his famous “driving dogs”. Reggie, the goldenlab he taught how to fly a plane. And Tommy, his Jack Russell, who once had to be rescued by the fire service after getting stuck in a sea cave.
All three died within six months of each other in 2022. “I haven’t had the heart yet to go and distribute them around the beach, which is what I want to do,” he says. “There’s been a lot of tears and a lot of heartache. You don’t quite want to let them go.”
Mark Vette with his three dogs, Monty, Tommy and Reggie. All three died within six months of each other. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Vette couldn’t begin to count the number of dogs he’s farewelled in his decades as an animal behaviourist and trainer (Hercules, from the Toyota “bugger” ad, was one of his, too).
The average canine lifespan, averaging 10-13 years, is brutally short. Some of the larger breeds don’t even make it to double figures.
Hearing someone talk about their “fur baby” might make you cringe, but the oxytocin that’s released when a dog and its owner clap eyes is the same love hormone that floods a mother when she holds her newborn.
“You get to the end of a dog’s life and you’ve bonded to them like a child,” says Vette. “We think of them in terms of being a family member who’s going to last 80 years and we kind of somehow believe that. But of course, they don’t and it’s a huge trauma.”
Brothers Chris and Nick Minteer grew up near Seattle with their golden retriever, Sunny. When he was battling stomach cancer and had chemotherapy treatment that ruined his usually insatiable appetite, Chris made pancakes and omelettes to tempt him to eat.
Today, the family’s goldendoodle, Winston, is one of a thousand dogs whose DNA is being stored in an epigenetic database to research ways to extend canine longevity.
Algorithms based on DNA methylation technology are already being used to measure biological ageing in humans and disease-related risk. Through their company, Woofgenix, the brothers are developing a canine model that does the same thing for dogs, capturing thousands of biomarkers that haven’t been studied before.
Woofgenix co-founders Chris Minteer (left) and brother Nick with their childhood dog Sunny and (below) with their goldendoodle Winston, who's part of an epigenetic study aimed at extending canine longevity.
A WoofAge saliva test that’s just been released documents a dog’s chronological age – many rescue animals don’t have a known birthdate – and health checks are recommended for each “life stage”, which varies between breeds. Also included is a tongue-in-cheek astrology report: Winston is an emotionally sensitive Aries with a heart of gold.
A more extensive WoofSpan report will be available next year, analysing a dog’s rate of ageing and disease risk for conditions ranging from gingivitis to cardiovascular health.
The concept is to give vets an epigenetic tool that can be used proactively, says Chris Minteer, who’s keen to get some Kiwi canines onboard. “It’s going to be highly contingent on size and breed, but with strategic early action and a combination of diet, fitness and other interventions, I think you could increase healthy life years by 25% or more.”
The company is aiming to build a worldwide database of 5000 dogs and has developed an interactive Woofgenix app. It’s also partnering with vet clinics for a 24-month longevity study involving the use of rapamycin, a drug that’s been shown in clinical trials to extend the life of lab mice by up to 14%.
Another big research study on rapamycin, The Dog Ageing Project, is being run in collaboration with the University of Washington and Texas A&M University and has reported promising effects on heart disease and heart ageing.
According to Bloomberg Intelligence’s latest Pet Economy Report, the explosion in preventative care diagnostics could boost its global market value to US$30 billion ($48b) by 2030.
One promising new drug, developed by a San Francisco-based biotech company, reduces levels of a specific growth hormone and could be available as a life-extending tool for large dogs (which have shorter lifespans) by 2026.
Kiwis are renowned pet lovers – there are around 850,000 dogs in New Zealand – and the health benefits go both ways. Research has shown that dog owners have lower blood pressure and cholesterol, reduced stress and anxiety, and feel less lonely. It even improves your hit rate on dating apps if there’s a dog in your profile photo.
Animal behaviourist and trainer Mark Vette with his new pup, Awa, a rustic golden retriever. "He's a little gem."
Vette is watching scientific developments in canine longevity with interest. He had his own epigenetic report done after suffering a heart attack at the age of 60 and has managed to reduce the biological age of his heart from 65 to 48.
He believes canine DNA tests will not only be useful for identifying potential medical issues but also behavioural predispositions, such as fearfulness and anxiety, that could benefit from early intervention.
No longer empty nesters, he and partner Kim Morresey have a new pup, Awa, a rustic golden retriever. “He’s a little gem who brings us so much joy,” says Vette. “Dogs live so much in the moment and the beauty for me is that they bring you into the present moment too.”
Joanna Wane is an award-winning feature writer on the NZ Herald’s Lifestyle Premium team, with a special focus on social issues and the arts.
