What a wonderfull thought it is, too. If you look up my name in the spyderco forums member section you can see a hollywood shot of Finn the mastiff ( my dog).It captures the intelligence and dignity the breed shows on a daily basis to it's owners.
The original roman and saxon war dogs. In the coliseum the brutal death matches equation had two mastiffs equal to an adult male lion, 3 mastiffs per bear or bull. A wolf or unarmed ( soon literally "unarmed", or "disarmed" if you prefer) man was not considered a match for a mastiff.
The breed almost went extinct in WW1 as food rationing left no access to the around 7o lbs of quality food needed per month per dog. Shipping a few breeding pairs to the states literally saved this ancient breed from extinction
The Mastiff doesn't yap, or show aggression typically. Answering back a barking small dog is well beneath the mastiffs dignity. When the dog walks, he strolls like a lion, having a similar body shape. Not much barking but when they do, there is a distinct shockwave you will feel.
Very intelligent, learns fast, and needs it's owner. Not a dog to leave tied out back. Very expensive to purchase, feed and keep healthy. Medicines are done by weight. A worming dose may cost a Jack russell 35$, but a mastiff $90 to 110. Stable temperment. No recorded killings by(english) mastiffs since records began being kept. Joe L.
PS. Finn acknowledges that he will help in any way he can. He ( and Joe) are already fans of Tom Krein's work.
mastiffone@hotmail.com
, the light colored wavy pattern above the edge makes me think of foam around the teeth)
