With all the Mastiff Madness going on around here (ie, our research and talking about actually bringing this huge animal into our home), I remembered, with some surprise, that I’ve actually seen a Mastiff in person before! I was visiting one of my teenagers in Namibia once, years ago, and a bear met me at the door. Or at least I thought it was a bear. Once his owner was able to convince me to stop running the other direction, I came in to find that this gentle, calm animal was actually a DOG. I couldn’t stop giggling about how huge he was, prompting his family to take this shot of me, proclaiming, “His head is bigger than mine! Look! LOOK!”

Anyway, for those who were wondering, that’s a Mastiff. Wes has a friend from college who commented on his Facebook post about this, telling him that she has one. We looked at her pictures, which include several of her small children lounging about on a mammoth-sized Mastiff who looks to be enjoying every second of their attention. You would think a dog this gentle wouldn’t be much of a protector, but to quote the breed info we’ve read, “they are non-aggressive except in those instances when their family, especially the children, are threatened. In those instances they become courageous defenders.” Gentle (but alarmingly HUGE!) until some aggression is needed to protect my babies. Perfect.

Anyway. Mastiffs. For those who were wondering. 🙂