Mastiffs; More Specifically, Hobbes

Getting a mastiff was something both Leslie and I agreed on. More specifically, we agreed that it was the dog for us both before and after we knew we were having a baby. We both love dogs so we knew that we wanted to get one. Among other dogs, we both like boxers and bulldogs. In lamenting that boxers have too much energy and bulldogs have too little, we realized that both dogs are bred from the Mastiff. The more we looked into Mastiffs the more we loved them. They are low energy dogs that are friendly and great with kids. They're a healthy breed that lives to be 10-15 years old. This is an extremely high number for a large dog. The best reason I can think of is that the breeding and inbreeding of dogs to get them to be really small or to look a certain way causes numerous genetic health problems. And since the old breed mastiff has not been bred into what it is today, there is more healthy stock in these dogs. From what I can tell, the mastiff breed has not changed since when they fought alongside the English against the Romans. Old. Large breeds inherently are at risk for certain ailments but when you compare the life expectancy of a mastiff to the four year life expectancy of a Irish Wolf Hound, which is a more recently bred dog, the difference is clear.