by Dana Michalski

Created on: April 24, 2008   Last Updated: October 16, 2011

The Mighty Mastiff

Whenever my dog and I take a stroll, there are always a ton of questions from very curious people. Everybody loves dogs, right? It seems nobody can resist a large, soulful looking dog meandering lethargically around at the end of a leash. Truly, I welcome all the questions, no matter how silly the questions tend to be. I will gladly stop and chat for the opportunity to educate people on the importance of healthy pets and animal rescue. Bella is quite the wonderful spokesperson, or spokes dog I should say.

"Such a beautiful dog, what breed is she?"

Bella is an Old English Mastiff. Along with the Old English Mastiff, there is also the Neapolitan Mastiff, distinguishable with loose skin all over the body and a heavily wrinkled face. The smaller of the Mastiffs, is the Bull mastiff. The Bull mastiff is considered to be 60% Mastiff stock and 40% Bulldog stock.

"Are all Old English Mastiff's her color?"

No, however, the majority are different shades of fawn. The American Kennel Club also accepts Brindle and Apricot as acceptable colors.

"She has to weigh more than you, how much does she weigh?"

True, she does weigh twice my body weight. Bella weighs in at approximately 200 pounds. She is quite large for a female. Male Mastiffs generally range from 160 - 230 pounds. Female Mastiffs should be between 120 - 170 pounds.

"She must eat a ton! She must eat you out of house and home!"

Mastiffs do tend to eat a large amount. A good quality dog food is an essential part of their diet. Table scraps should be a no-no. Treats are usually not recommended as training aids for this breed. Because of a Mastiff's sensitive feelings, stern words are a better training method. An adult Mastiff will usually eat as much as an adult human in one day.

"I sure would hate to clean up her bathroom piles!"

True, Bella leaves some big piles. If you live somewhere that requires the pooper scoopers, I would not recommend this gigantic breed. You may break your back trying to carry your "goody" bag home when it's full. From experience, hitting one of these very large bathroom piles while on the riding lawn mower could send you into an uncontrollable skid across the lawn.

"Is she good with your children?"

Yes, extremely patient and kind with any child. She does however at times, get overly excited about some things and sends her body shaking crazily all around and does sometimes knock down the littlest boy. She means no harm. The Mastiff does not realize how large they actually

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