dog year

plural dog years

1. informalA period of time in the life of dogs, defined such that the average life expectancy of a dog in "dog years" is numerically equivalent to the average life expectancy of a human. A 4- and a 5-year-old dog are about as mature as a human of 28 to 30 years and 33 to 35 years, respectively. The most common calculation uses a ratio of seven dog years to one human year.

   90 minutes of almost nonstop hilarity is a good entertainment value. Especially if you're counting in dog years.

   2004 June 15, Robert Hurwitt, “Giddy spiral down the Amazon.com workers' inferno”, in San Francisco Chronicle

2. A unit of age relative to the species being considered, defined such that an animal's age in "dog years" is the equivalent age of a dog in calendar years.