Mastiff Rescue

Mastiff Rescue Clubs are experiencing serious difficulties in finding room for all dogs they find, because sadly, there are much more unwanted and stray Mastiffs than they can accept. Abandoned Mastiffs are found in various parts of the world, and there are a few common reasons why they lose their homes. Unfortunately, many Mastiffs fall victims to our vanity, ignorance and irresponsibility.

Mastiffs can be hard for novice dog owners to handle, because they are large in size, and they expect the best in terms of nutrition, handling, training and socialization. Many of those who buy Mastiff puppies do not fully realize the load of responsibility they assume when purchasing a puppy. Puppies are fun to watch and play with, but this is not for a long time, because they grow up and mature. They should be trained and socialized in order to prevent temperamental issues in adulthood. Many buyers do not have sufficient knowledge on how to properly train Mastiff puppies. As a result, they become less and less manageable with age, and eventually land up in Mastiff Rescue homes.

Purebred Mastiffs are great companions. Although they do look a little tough and are fully determined to protect their loved ones at all costs, they are quite docile and gentle with their loved ones. Usually, they hold strangers at bay and do not undertake attacks immediately. When battling intruders, these dogs use their strength and weight to pin the enemy to the ground. This is particularly true of English Mastiffs and Bullmastiffs – their closest relatives. Bullmastiffs were bred to help English estate owners catch poachers. Those dogs were trained to hold poachers without doing much harm to them. All these traits are common to purebred Mastiffs. Unfortunately, there are too many Mastiffs with unknown backgrounds, which are bred by dollar-oriented backyard breeders. Such dogs are most likely to develop serious behavioral problems and genetic physical abnormalities, which put them off the show ring for good. Failure to live up to show requirements and the breed standard often results in dogs being surrendered to Mastiff Rescue organizations.

English Mastiffs and Bullmastiffs are the largest representatives of the Mastiff group of dogs. There are a few other related breeds, which are also referred to as “Mastiffs” or “Molossers”: American Mastiffs, Spanish Mastiffs, Tibetan Mastiffs, Neapolitan Mastiffs, Pugs, the Cane Corso and the Dogue de Bordeaux. Most Mastiff Rescue Clubs work with all Mastiff-type dogs, using specific behavior correction methods to make them sociable and more attractive for those willing to adopt them.