Mastiff dog, history education

This article will focus on the mastiff dog and it’s rich long history. They were introduced by Phoenician merchants into the Britain colonies around the sixth century. Finding the mastiff dog to be loyal the ancient Celts used them as a major assets during combat.

Part Of Ancient Rome HistoryThis dog was used to fight in the ancient Roman arenas being captured during the Roman occupation. Then they were transported back to Italy to serve as guard dogs. FYI the Mastiff was utilized by the infamous Hannibal and was one of Julius Caesar’s favorite pets.

Part Of Britain’s HistoryThis mastiffs dog hunting prowess was so respected that there was a time in ancient Britain where the middle toes of all mastiffs dogs were removed. This was done so that the mastiffs would not be able to move fast enough to hunt deer who were protected by royal law. Many British royals utilized the mastiffs dog to protect there vast estates. They did this by releasing the bullmastiff at night to deter trespassers. They also served as pets to the owners.

Part Of The New World HistoryYes that’s right. The very first mastiff puppies were transported to America on the Mayflower from the shores of Britain. As fate would have it the Mastiff breed didn’t gain a lot of popularity until the late 1800’s where they were seldom used as pets. The mastiffs were used as guard dogs on plantations.

War ServiceBeing employed mainly to pull ammunition carts the mastiff dog was part of both World Wars. During this time the mastiff breed was starting to become extinct in Britain. To help Britain repopulate their mastiffs, Canada and America both sent a large supply of mastiff dogs over there. With an increasing number of bullmastiff puppies being picked as pets the mastiff dog popularity is growing on both continents.