With those numbers, anecdotes only get you so far.
This is an nice resource for checking out how other users fared with their shutter counts:
Canon's numbers are no exact counts at which the camera will fail, but just estimates of what consumers can reasonably expect.
Very true, which is why Canon (and most other advertising claims) are careful to use the caveat “up to”.
In practice, some users will experience shutter failure earlier, and some will achieve greater longevity, depending on quality control issues, shooting style, how much shock or vibration the camera receives and various other factors. The quoted figures nevertheless are probably a fairly accurate indication of expected maximum lifespan.
FWIW, my higher than average figures reflect cameras that have received a lot of incidental abuse, in the form of knocks, vibration, and extremes of temperature and humidity. Most of the time I shoot in bursts of 3 (bracketed exposures), or occasionally sustained bursts of up to 3 seconds (BIF), at shutter speeds in the 1/250 to 1/4000 range. I rarely take single shots.