# Riddle/Inquiry **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 4, 2009, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-inquiry/512543 "2009-10-04T13:39:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TickledToDeath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e56c9b/32.png) [@TickledToDeath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TickledToDeath)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-inquiry/512543/1 "2009-10-04T13:39:22Z")
\*\* I posed this question last night to my wife and step daughter and for the next two hours, they were obsessed with solving the question and even sucked two of my step daughters math genius friends into the fray all with different answers! Go figure. Here is the what should be a relatively simple question; If 1 Calender year(human) is 7 dog years…how much is 1 Calender Month? In other words if a dog is 7 years old each human year, how old is the dog each month? \*\* Hope I am posing this clearly. TTD ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-inquiry/512543/2 "2009-10-04T13:58:25Z")
7 doggy months I should think. If it goes 7/1 for years, it should do the same for months. Now all the smart people will come in and show me where I’m wrong… ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-inquiry/512543/3 "2009-10-04T13:59:16Z")
The 7 dog years=1 human year is wrong. [How Old is Your Dog?](http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/age.htm) [Dog Years.](http://www.dogyears.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-inquiry/512543/4 "2009-10-04T14:03:12Z")
error ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-inquiry/512543/5 "2009-10-04T14:07:49Z")
OK let’s do math 🙂 1 year is the same as 12 months and 7 years is the same as 7 X 12 = 84 months So instead of saying “If 1 Calender year(human) is 7 dog years” you could say “If 12 months is 84 dog years.” so the ratio is 12:84 which is the same as 1:7 and the ratio we want is 1:X So instead of 12:84 we want only 1 month So we say “12 is to 84 as 1 is to X” Now let’s do the math 12 1 * * * 84 X 12x = 1 X 84 12x = 84 x = 84/12 x = 7 months So one month is the same as 7 months ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-inquiry/512543/6 "2009-10-04T14:42:18Z")
7 months. ETA: Dog months, that is. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-inquiry/512543/7 "2009-10-04T14:55:39Z")
Each month is seven twelfths of a a dog year. This is the same as 7 dog months. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-inquiry/512543/8 "2009-10-04T15:04:52Z")
And one calendar day is 7 dog days. It’s always a one to seven ratio because that’s the way it’s defined. No math needed. What other answers were given and what was the reasoning behind them? Did you define or word the question differently? ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-inquiry/512543/9 "2009-10-04T15:12:20Z")
I think the real riddle here is how your wife and stepdaughter managed to spend two hours wrestling with this. Unless I’m missing something (and I agree with other posters, it’s 7 months) this is quite straightforward. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-inquiry/512543/10 "2009-10-04T15:59:29Z")
Those tables aren’t accurate; dogs age very differently depending on breed. A useful approximation can be found by correlating with weight: [Calculator](http://www.griscotti.com/dogagecalculator.html) [Article with table](http://www.france-property-and-information.com/dog-years-to-human-years-age.htm). ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-inquiry/512543/11 "2009-10-04T18:01:59Z")
The Master barks: [Is it true that one “dog year” equals seven “human years”? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/370/is-it-true-one-dog-year-equal-seven-human-years) ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-inquiry/512543/12 "2009-10-04T19:01:49Z")
Disregarding whether it’s true, the question should be simple to work out mentally. 1 year=7 dog years 1 month=X dog months 1 year has been divided by 12, so we just need to divide 7 dog years by 12 to get the answer. We want to convert the 7 dog years to months first by multuplying 7x12, then divide that by 12 to get X. Wait, multiply by 12 then divide by 12? Nevermind, those cancel out so the answer has to be 7. ---
**Author:** ![TickledToDeath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e56c9b/32.png) [@TickledToDeath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TickledToDeath)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-inquiry/512543/13 "2009-10-04T22:51:38Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > I think the real riddle here is how your wife and stepdaughter managed to spend two hours wrestling with this. Unless I’m missing something (and I agree with other posters, it’s 7 months) this is quite straightforward. LOL that boggled my mind and had me laughing hysterically all night. Wife, step daughter and her friend , three different formulas and different answers. The step daughters friend seemed to be on target but took one hell of a strange route with cross multiplying and so on. Quite comical. Not sure how one came up with every adult month = 5.83 dog months. Made for an entertaining cool and rainy evening. TTD ---
**Author:** ![TickledToDeath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e56c9b/32.png) [@TickledToDeath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TickledToDeath)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riddle-inquiry/512543/14 "2009-10-04T22:56:17Z")
Gotta love it. Much thanks for all the responses folks! I sooooooo love this site!