4 Things you did not know about English Mastiff
The title of being the “Gentle Giant” of the dog world goes to the English Mastiff. They are large and heavy breed of dogs but contradict this with their affectionate and calm ways. One other physical characteristic of this breed would be their black mask that might make you wonder if this dog is hiding fascinating trivia about its breed, fortunately they do. Here are some facts about the English Mastiff.
Aicama Zorba of England is an English Mastiff that is responsible for making the breed popular because it is the dog recorded to have the greatest weight ever. The 1989 edition of the Guinness Book of World record stated that Zorba weighed 343 pounds or 156 kilograms. This record also cemented its status in the annals of the World record because they stopped accepting heaviest dog records in 2000.
English Mastiffs have been featured in numerous films today and were included in old literary works. One such work would be Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Adventure of the Copper Beeches,” a Sherlock Holmes short story. According to the story, the protagonist starved the English Mastiff to make it more formidable against its enemies. In the end, however, his dog attacked him because of his callous and careless actions.
It is noticeable that English Mastiffs cost more than other dog breeds. That is because both female and male English Mastiffs are prone to fertility problems, producing only three litters in a lifetime. Furthermore, the mother’s large size usually results in it smothering or crushing the puppies. This can be remedied however by the use of whelping boxes.
The Livingston County chapter of the American Red Cross honored a 200-pound English Mastiff called Lurch. This was because Lurch was able to donate blood 20 times saving dozens of other dogs such as one who was poisoned.
