Bryan Johnson turns his anti-ageing focus to dogs, starting with his own

Tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, who has spent millions on slowing his own ageing, is now turning his attention to canine longevity. His motivation is simple: "dogs are amazing."

Johnson recently adopted Katara, a professionally trained Belgian Malinois, who also serves as his guard dog. In an interview, he said he receives death threats and that Katara accompanies him everywhere. The dog, who turns two in October, was a notable presence at a recent longevity event in San Francisco.

Johnson has not announced plans for a canine health company. Instead, he intends to apply his rigorous data-collection and intervention methods to Katara. "She's going to become the most measured dog in the world," he said, adding that they will pursue a range of longevity therapies.

He believes improving dog health can start with diet, arguing that many commercial dog foods contain compounds that are harmful. "These are things that glue your organs together," he noted.

Johnson also sees canine research as a pathway to human breakthroughs, pointing to the many biological similarities between species. "When you read through the literature on dogs, and you just replace humans with dogs, there are so many similarities," he said.

He also highlighted a practical advantage: veterinary drug approval is substantially faster than for human treatments, allowing for quicker scientific progress. The field is already attracting interest, with startups like Loyal working on lifespan-extension drugs for dogs and Rejuvenate Bio exploring gene therapies for age-related animal diseases.

Johnson believes dog owners will be receptive to advanced care, observing that people often prioritise their pets' health over their own. "Humans will oftentimes care for their dogs better than they'll care for themselves," he said.