About the English Mastiff
What the Lion is to the Cat
the Mastiff is to the Dog,
the noblest of the family; he stands alone,
and all others sink before him.
Cynographia Britannica – 1800
These large, powerful and majestic dogs have a very rich and colorful history, dating back many centuries. The English Mastiff is thought to have descended from large mastiff-type dogs brought to Britain by the Phoenician traders as far back as the 6th century B.C.
These dogs were crossed with local fighting dogs, and their offspring were used to hunt Wolves, and later as combatants in various blood sports, including fighting the lion and the bear. When the Romans arrived, they were so impressed with the Mastiff breed that they often took the dogs back to their arenas in Rome.
The first and second World Wars reduced the breed’s numbers in their British homeland, and there are presently more English Mastiffs in the United States than there are in its country of origin.
Grand, but very good-natured; courageous yet docile and very dignified, the Mastiff is a sturdy companion and protection dog measuring 30 or more inches at the shoulder (females 2-1/2 inches less).
It’s coat is short and dense and comes in shades of apricot, silver fawn or dark fawn-brindle, all with darker muzzle, ears and nose. Regular, thorough brushing is all the grooming necessary.
Copyright 2003
Used with permission
Further Reading:
The English Mastiff – A Complete Anthology of the Dog
The English Mastiff – A Complete Anthology of the Dog gathers together all the best early writing on the breed from our library of scarce, out-of-print antiquarian books and documents and reprints it in a quality, modern edition. This anthology includes chapters taken from a comprehensive range of books, many of them now rare and much sought-after works, all of them written by renowned breed experts of their day. These books are treasure troves of information about the breed – The physical points, temperaments, and special abilities are given; celebrated dogs are discussed and pictured; and the history of the breed and pedigrees of famous champions are also provided. The contents were well illustrated with numerous photographs of leading and famous dogs of that era and these are all reproduced to the highest quality. Books used include: My Dog And I by H. W. Huntington (1897), The Twentieth Century Dog by Herbert Compton (1904) and many others.
