04/28/2023
The true feeling of puppy love: The English Mastiff
Nov 23, 2021
Years ago, my wife and I fell in love with the English Mastiff. The puppies were so huggable, and the adults were so calm. We could tell right away these dogs were something different and special.
We have seen mastiffs through the years but never like these. These mastiffs were from champion bloodlines, so I’m assuming what we have seen in the past is what they call back yard breeder mastiffs. Those are the mastiffs that may or may not be AKC registered but definitely not a show caliber bloodline.
The differences between the two are enormous! There would be no doubt that we wanted great bloodlines ! We wanted to start with the best bloodlines we could find. We wanted the proper structure, health, and temperaments. We studied the various bloodlines around the country. We read every available book, blog, website, medical topics, as well as http://gooddog.com videos. It took us almost two years to complete enough research to be comfortable with getting our first mastiff.
We hit the jackpot with our first Mastiff, “ROXIE.” Although we felt comfortable in choosing our first pup, we called on a handler that was highly recommended to help pick our first puppy. She brought her whole crew, and they went through all sixteen puppies. They stacked each one and examined their lines, ears, bite, tail position, gums, and teeth. She was big b***d and her conformation was extremely good. We found our baby girl in Central Florida. She immediately became a cuddle of joy for us. We had done the research on the best ingredients to feed her from a pup to an adult. She acted almost human as it seemed she understood what I was talking about. She never left my side, not begging for attention but just wanted to be close.
As she grew, we knew she was something special, not because she was our dog but because of her temperment and conformation. She is a beautiful brindle color with tiger like stripes. We’ve talked with handlers and breeders about what s*x or color would be best to show; it definitely was not brindle. We were told by our handler that lots of times, judges just don’t care for brindles. She said she believed that she would fill in and be a great show dog. She said if a dog is next to perfect, even the pickiest judge would have to judge her fairly.
We kept sending our handler pictures every month so she could determine if it was the right time to show her. The day came when our handler said, “Bring her to me.” We were so excited for our baby girl ! I’ll never forget; it was the 2021 Sunshine State Cluster.” It was a five day event. Remember, it was ROXIES first show ever. Over the first 4 days, Roxie had won 3 majors and two second place finishes. The majors were with three different judges ( a qualifying step for a championship). She was 4 points away from her championship title, and we had one more day to go. Everyone was touting her as a rock star !
The last day of the show arrived. Our handler lined her up with the other dogs. Just before she walked roxie into the show ring, the judge said she was not registered for that particular show. All the excitement that had built up over the last few days sank into a bottomless hole. We built ourselves up because we kept thinking, “This would be unheard of, becoming a champion in just 5 days.” It was not to be.
During the covid pandemic, it was really hard to find shows with enough Mastiffs to make points. Our handler said the only show she could find was the Morris/Ess*x show in Pennsylvania. We decided to send her. There was only one show that was worth one point. She won that show and got her one point !
Our next show will be the AKC Nationals in Orlando in December. I have high hopes for the shows. I think we will get her three points and crown her champion, possibly over the few days of the nationals she could get her “GRAND CHAMPION” title. To do so would mean she would have to go back to rock star status. NONE of this would have been possible without our handler Andrea ! By far, our greatest asset next to our dogs. She has what it takes to show a dog, pick a pup, and the foresight to know what shows to enter.
Update:
Roxie entered the AKC Nationals in Orlando Florida. She was crowned CHAMPION ! She won several shows and never looked back. She has since had 2 litters. She has produced excellent puppies. We have Service dog’s, Comfort dog’s and other well behaved and structure perfect puppies from both litters. What a grand slam with our baby Roxie.
Look for our next update when we talk about our awesome male, “APOLLO.”
VISIT OUR WEBSITE : http://stoneheartmastiffs.com
Pics of present and past litter.