English Mastiff as a celebrity
The English Mastiff, often called simply Mastiff, is a large breed of dog of the general mastiff or Molosser type. Their size is very large and gives an impression of power and strength when viewed from any angle. The body is massive with great depth and breadth, especially between the forelegs, causing these to be set wide apart.
Living With a Celebrity
By Adrienne Tange
Our dog is like Arnold Schwarzenegger. When we walk him down main street in our small town and people see him, they immediately stop whatever they are doing and exclaim quite loudly "Oh my God — look at the size of that dog!!" So what’s so special about our dog Oden, aka OD? He is a 200-pound English Mastiff. So now you are saying "Oh my God ! Why get a dog that big?" Well like most gullible parents, my son talked me into getting another dog after our chocolate Labrador retriever died. For years he wanted an English Mastiff.
Photo: purerock965.com
Initially, I resisted since I knew this was a BIG dog (it is the heaviest breed). But being a dog lover, I wanted to first learn more about the bred before I said "yes" or "no".The English Mastiff is one of the oldest canine breeds. No one knows for sure this breed’s exact origin. Some think that the ancestors of the Mastiff came from Central-Asia. Historians believe about 500 BC Phoenician traders brought the dogs to Britain. These dogs were popular because of their size, strength, loyalty and ferocity. The Romans trained them for war and protection. After World War I and World War II, Mastiffs almost became extinct. People could not afford to keep such a large dog. To save the bred, Mastiffs were crossbred with a number of other types of dogs. The Mastiff today is gentle but still protective.
After scouring the Internet for Mastiff information and talking to Mastiff owners and breeders, I said "yes" to my son. We bought a cute little 12 lb male puppy from a reputable Mastiff breeder and called him Oden. Like the fairytale beanstalk, OD grew and grew and grew! At a year old he weighed 160 pounds.Now at 17 months, Oden has almost reached full maturity. He is as tall as our dinner table, has muscles a body builder would admire, and feet the size of my hands. To go along with his big body is a massive broad head. Though his looks are intimidating, he greets most people with a wagging tail and kind eyes. When people see Oden they stop and ask us these questions:
My husband and I sympathize with a celebrity like Arnold-always getting stopped and admired. We now know how he feels.
Adrienne Tange is the co-founder of http://writeontimesolutions.com/ a California-based technical writing company that creates clear, concise and accurate technical documentation or Web content-always on time and on budget. You can often see her walking Oden and his canine companion Sally.
i am really happy for your son .i always wanted a mastiff, but caot afford to buy it. your dog OD is simply awesome. please let me know if anyone is given a mastiff for free, i can afford to pay upto 100$ but not more coz my parents wont allow me to.
Comment by hemant sharma — June 14, 2009 @ 7:51 pm