The Dog Aging Project is looking for 10,000 dogs for the largest-ever dog lifespan study.
The dog lifespan project aims to gather veterinary records, DNA samples, gut microbes, and information on food and walks from their owners.
The team will monitor the group of dogs over the course of 10 years as they find ways to improve the life expectancy of canines as well as their quality of life.
The Dog Aging Project is led by researchers from the University of Washington School of Medicine and the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences and is funded by the National Institute of Aging, a division the National Institutes of Health.
The researchers also hope that their findings could be applied to humans as well.
"Dogs truly are science's best friends," a joint statement sent by the team to CNN reads. "Though they age more rapidly than humans, they get the same diseases of aging, have a rich genetic makeup, and share our environment."
"By studying aging in dogs," the researchers noted, "we can more quickly expand our knowledge of aging not just in dogs but also in humans." In a much larger scale, team hopes their research can also reveal "prediction, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of disease."
Dog owners who are interested to participate in the study can now send their applications. To apply, owners can visit the Dog Aging Project's website and nominate their pets. They will be asked questions about their canine to help the researchers determine whether he or she qualifies for the study. The submission process will take less than 10 minutes.
All dogs, from any state and of all ages, sizes, and breeds, may apply. Dogs with chronic illnesses may also be qualified because researchers also aim to analyze genetic diversity. This will help them assess biological and environmental factors that are crucial to improving overall health and lifespan.
"Dogs and their owners are the heart of the Dog Aging Project," the researchers said. "People who nominate a dog will have the opportunity to partner with our research team as a citizen scientist."
Interested dog owners will fill out surveys about the health and life experience of their dogs and sample the dog's saliva.
