The Mastiff: Aristocratic Guardian (The Pure Bred Series) [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

by Dee Dee Andersson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Destined to become "The Bible" for Mastiff owners, this book examines the Mastiff's history and developement. A loyal guardian but gentle soul, this large dog was used in the Middle Ages for bull baiting and fighting for sport. Features tales and legends of Mastiffs, prominent kennels, health problems, breeding, and whelping puppies.

From the Publisher
It has been many years since a book on the Mastiffs was published. This is destined to be one of the great ones, perhaps even a classic. We do feel that this book will quickly become the bible for Mastiff owners.

This breed book is uniquely unique. A great many breed books that are in bookstores are simply boilerplate, with only the pictures, kennel names, and breed names changed. If you go into a bookstore or pet store and pick up two look-alike breed books from the shelf youll see that they have identical table of contents!

People who are looking for a great guard dog that is good (and safe!) with children will be delighted by the information available in this text. For such a large dog, the Mastiff is very aware of its size, and also knows how powerful it is. Intimidating simply by its size, Mastiffs are great for families who want protection, but do not want the aggressiveness sometimes found in other breeds such as Rottweilers or Dobermans.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Doral Publishing; illustrated edition edition (January 25, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0944875513
• ISBN-13: 978-0944875513
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #755,999 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Fabulous!, November 17, 1999

By A Customer

This book is not only informative it is "riveting" from cover to cover. dee dee Anderson has given the Mastiff world the most comprehensive history of the breed ever written. Her chapters on the care of, common disorders, choosing a puppy and breeding should be required reading for anyone even interested in "being owned by" a member of this marvelous, "Aristocratic" breed!Thank you, dee dee Anderson, for writing this wonderful book!

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Mastiff book, written from the heart of a Mastiff owner., November 11, 1998

By A Customer

MASTIFF Aristocratic Guardian, truly a must read for all Mastiff Fanciers and wanna be Mastiff Fanciers. The author, dee dee Andersson has fulfilled her goal to tell readers why Mastiffs are the greatest animals on earth. dee dee's many years of having been owned by Mastiffs has enabled her to write stories and experiences from her heart. In reading the book, one can not help feeling the affection the author has for the breed.

There has never been a Mastiff book written, depicting the history of this magnificent breed the Mastiff as the author has done. She has written the history of the good and the bad; the terror and the romance; the discrimination and the almost loosing the breed to the past. A reader can well imagine the many, many hours of research involved in writing the in-depth history of the Mastiff as dee dee has done.

Non other than a dedicated Mastiff owner can write of the true temperament of a Mastiff. The author has written this chapter showing great feeling for the breed, knowing from many years of experience, that the Mastiff is not the dog for everyone. As I read this chapter, in some instances I almost felt that the author had crept into the heart of the Mastiff and was writing as if she were the Mastiff.

The author is sharing with the readers a wealth of knowledge in the chapters The Growing Mastiff, Breeding Mastiffs, Whelping & Puppies, and How to Select a Mastiff Puppy. The many, many years of living with Mastiffs shines through these chapters.

When my husband and I owned our very first Mastiff, we would have given our eye teeth to have been able to find such a book as the MASTIFF Aristocratic Guardian.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bursting at the seams with relevant Mastiff information., November 15, 1999

By	Margaret-Anne Melville ([e-mail]) (Scotland) - See all my reviews

This book has been written by someone who not only loves this breed dearly...but who is rich in the experience of its care and knowledge of it's roots.

Every chapter tells both the novice and the expert, something they did not already know. The historical research has been comprehensively and articulately addressed. Going into far greater detail than most subject specific books.

Chapters on conditions such as Bloat, breeding and whelping are so detailed as to provide the owner with all the necessary information to deem themselves, well informed.

Dee has managed to convey the wonderful breed characteristics through sharing delightful anecdotal experiences of her own familly of Mastiffs, with which any Mastiff Owner can fully identify. Such as this, spurred this reader on to write poetry in Memory of the Mastiff.

I have to say therefore that this book has inspired, informed and educated! Few books in this day and age can qualify for such an accolade.

Dee Dee, this book is a wonderful testament to someone who really knows and loves the mastiff. If you never did another good thing in your life...you would still have done too much!