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The Mastiff--Aristocratic Guardian
by
dee dee Andersson
306 pp., including glossary and index
200 b&w illustrations and photos
print date: Aug. 28, 1998
release date: Sept. 9th, 1998 |
The following excerpt is fromThe Mastiff--Aristocratic
Guardian, Chapter 6, "Temperament - The Natural Guardian":
One of the most famous and finest descriptions ever written about
the Mastiff temperament was in Cynographia Britannica (1800) by Sydenham
Edwards:
What the Lion is to the Cat the Mastiff is to the Dog, the noblest of the
family; he stands alone, and all others sink before him. His courage does
not exceed his temper and generosity, and in attachment he equals the kindest
of his race. His docility is perfect; the teazing of the smaller kinds will
hardly provoke him to resent, and I have seen him down with his paw the
Terrier or cur that has bit him, without offering further injury. In a family
he will permit the children to play with him, and suffer all their little
pranks without offence. The blind ferocity of the Bull Dog will often wound
the hand of the master who assists him to combat, but the Mastiff distinguishes
perfectly, enters the field with temper, and engages in the attack as if
confident of success: if he overpowers, or is beaten, his master may take
him immediately in his arms and fear nothing. This ancient and faithful
domestic, the pride of our island, uniting the useful, the brave and the
docile, though sought by foreign nations and perpetuated on the continent,
is nearly extinct where he probably was an aborigine, or is bastardized
by numberless crosses, everyone of which degenerate from the invaluable
character of the parent, who was deemed worthy to enter the Roman amphitheatre,
and, in the presence of the masters of the worlds, encounter the pard, and
assail even the lord of the savage tribes, whose courage was sublimed by
torrid suns, and found none gallant enough to oppose him on the deserts
of Zaara or the plains of Numidia.
When a Mastiff is permitted to be part of the family unit, he will put his
own life on the line if that is what is required to protect his family.
He always conducts himself with his own innate dignity. Because our attitudes
towards the breed changed, parting company with what our ancient ancestors
needed from them , we are recognizing and receiving a far gentler and kinder
temperament in return.
Mastiffs need only to be given respect and kindness, nourishing food, fresh
water, appropriate shelter from the cold and heat, veterinary care, and
abundant affection together with consistent and sensible instruction. In
return, they reward us with their undivided attention, unconditional loyalty,
unbounded love, continuous protection and wonderful companionship. All this,
and all we have to do is: Make them part of our family; grant them the right
to lay at our feet and adore us; let them occasionally rest their impressive
heads on our knees while we offer them kind words or affectionate pats and
invite them to sleep at our bedside, so we may rest secure, while they guard
us through the night. So little to ask of us, for so much in return from
them. |
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