English Mastiff

The English Mastiff''' is a large breed of dog. It's aliases include Old English Mastiff and, simply, Mastiff. Long-haired individuals of this breed are called Fluffies.'''

Appearance
English Mastiffs are broad and square-headed dogs. They have an enormous body, and happens to be the largest dog breed in terms of mass! Their medium-sized eyes may be hazel or brown and are set wide apart. They always have a black mask around their eyes and snout. They have straight, sturdy legs which support a body with enormous breadth. Mastiffs come in a variety of coat colors such as, golden, fawn, brindle, light fawn, sliver, apricot, and tiger. Mastiffs, on average, weigh about 150 lbs, but can easily exceed 200 lbs! They are typically 30 inches tall.

Behavior
Despite their size, they are very kind and loyal dogs. A sort of gentle giant! English mastiffs are very gentle, loving, quiet, calm, and intelligent. Due to their patience, they live great with children. But, they are extremely powerful, and are cautious around strangers. They sometimes do not bark at strangers but rather evade them from the owners in a very bright manner, sometimes trapping them in a corner, or simply laying on them! They are lazy, but are most happy when regularly exercised. They are favored for their loyalty.

History
Old English mastiffs originated in Britain. They are an extremely old breed and date back to 3,000 B.C. They fought alongside European soldiers and were favored by Caesar for arena fight against gladiators and other dogs or lions! They were later favored by peasants for their loyalty and protection against the harsh world. It is believed that mastiffs came to America on the Mayflower, but this is not confirmed. During World War 2, the breed was almost extinct, but made a remarkable comeback. These breeds are currently wanted for their guarding.

World Record
The biggest English Mastiff ever officially recorded was a mastiff named Aicama Zorba, according to Wikipedia. He weighed in at 343 lbs!! When he was 7 years old he stood at a shocking 35 inches tall and was 8.35 feet long, the size of a donkey! There have been other claims of larger specimens, such as Hercules. Hercules is said to be the largest dog ever, but is actually a Neapolitan Mastiff.

Videos




In popular media

 * Hercules was an English Mastiff in the film Sandlot, while Goliath was in Sandlot 2.
 * Mason the Mastiff was an English mastiff in the 2007 film Transformers.
 * The "Chupadogra" was actually an English mastiff named Buster in the movie Marmaduke.
 * Lenny was a brindle-colored English mastiff in the movie Hotel for Dogs

Top names

 * 1) Zeus
 * 2) bandit
 * 3) Byron
 * 4) Apollo
 * 5) Toby
 * 6) T-Bone
 * 7) Riley
 * 8) Gyro
 * 9) Abbot
 * 10) Bubba
 * 11) Lola
 * 12) Gracie
 * 13) Cinnamon
 * 14) Sadie
 * 15) Dixie
 * 16) Amber
 * 17) Alexis
 * 18) Gypsy
 * 19) Cyndy

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