The title, My Life in Dog Years is, on one level, a pun that plays on the concept of human years versus dog years. (Fun fact: one dog year can be anywhere from 4 to 15 human years, depending on your dog's breed and age.) The "My Life" part of the title clues us into the fact that this will be an autobiographical book.
It's an unconventional autobiography where author Gary Paulsen talks about his life through the lens of nine special dog associates—different years, different dogs. As we read, we get a picture of Paulsen's life from the ages of 7 to 59. We bet that the time since the book was published has been measured in dog years, too.