SleepingBeauty
New Member
Hi my name is Ciara,35, from West Lothian In Scotland. I've owned dogs all my life but never had the pleasure of owning a giant breed although my great aunt always had Bull Mastiff's & my uncle Paul (her son) had 2, he sadly just lost his 7 year old male couple months ago.
ANYWAY - I recently rescued a gorgeous young pup 2 weeks ago. Someone had walked into a car wash dragging this confused pup behind him walking around asking people to buy him for between £50-300. I managed to get the dog without paying (which is another story which I'll tell if anyone wants to know?)
I immediately drove off with him & took him to the local vet to check if he had a microchip & to check up on his health as he seemed very thin & shy. I wasn't even sure what breed of dog he was, the vet told me that he appeared to be a Neapolitan Mastiff pup around 15-20 weeks of age & that he had no microchip. Which we both found very odd, I then rang the police to tell them what happened & to check if anyone had reported him missing. I had fell in love with this beautifully shy boy & I told the police that I wanted to keep the dog until an owner had been found, they agreed.
After almost a week of putting up comments & pictures on missing/lost/stolen pet Facebook pages I started more thorough research of the breed & how much he would cost to own. I was devastated by the cost of insurance for him compared to my J.R.T because I knew that although I could afford to feed him etc I couldn't afford the insurance & countless vet trips he may have needed. So I called the Dogs Trust & the SSPCA to collect him & find him a loving experienced home but changed my mind immediately when I found out he'd be kenneled outdoors with lots of barking strange dogs.
I decided that again I'd keep him until an experienced foster could take him & I contacted dozens of groups & was unsuccessful however one group that I rang merely for advice the Scottish Dogue de Bordeux was willing to try & help me. They couldn't take him directly however cos they deal purely with DDB's. Sarah Sievewright from SDDBS was brilliant she contacted someone from the Underheugh Ark who knew a lovely experienced mastiff foster mum. Within 1 hour of calling the SDDBS they had found him a home where he would stay until he was neutered & ready to go to his forever home. Then only
I had him for only 12 days but he made a huge impact on me & all my neighbours. He was a gentle, sweet, clumsy baby who within days was house trained, crate trained & knew the basic commands sit, down, roll over & stay!! He was brilliant & put my terrier to shame as she won't do any commands!! I read so much about how they could be stubborn & difficult to train conventionally. I miss him terribly, there is a huge Bruno sized whole in my life & although I know he's happy & that I done the right thing sending him to live with his foster Michelle & her pet Mastiff until they find him the right home I selfishly wish he was still here with me now!
I desperately want to now foster dogs in need, there are so many particularly the bull & mastiff breeds HOWEVER cos I have a young daughter under 10 living at home with me I will not pass the home inspection . Obviously my daughters safety comes first that goes without question but surely they rescue of a tiny minority of mastiffs that have came from a family with young kids & are proven safe around young children. Then an introduction could be made in front of a behaviorist or similar to check on how the dog perceives the child & if there's any tension, fear or aggression??
So now I am ray: praying to the doggy God for a chance to foster a beautiful Mastiff in need....
Anyway I've talked about him so much, here is two of the 620 pictures I have of Bruno-
ANYWAY - I recently rescued a gorgeous young pup 2 weeks ago. Someone had walked into a car wash dragging this confused pup behind him walking around asking people to buy him for between £50-300. I managed to get the dog without paying (which is another story which I'll tell if anyone wants to know?)
I immediately drove off with him & took him to the local vet to check if he had a microchip & to check up on his health as he seemed very thin & shy. I wasn't even sure what breed of dog he was, the vet told me that he appeared to be a Neapolitan Mastiff pup around 15-20 weeks of age & that he had no microchip. Which we both found very odd, I then rang the police to tell them what happened & to check if anyone had reported him missing. I had fell in love with this beautifully shy boy & I told the police that I wanted to keep the dog until an owner had been found, they agreed.
After almost a week of putting up comments & pictures on missing/lost/stolen pet Facebook pages I started more thorough research of the breed & how much he would cost to own. I was devastated by the cost of insurance for him compared to my J.R.T because I knew that although I could afford to feed him etc I couldn't afford the insurance & countless vet trips he may have needed. So I called the Dogs Trust & the SSPCA to collect him & find him a loving experienced home but changed my mind immediately when I found out he'd be kenneled outdoors with lots of barking strange dogs.
I decided that again I'd keep him until an experienced foster could take him & I contacted dozens of groups & was unsuccessful however one group that I rang merely for advice the Scottish Dogue de Bordeux was willing to try & help me. They couldn't take him directly however cos they deal purely with DDB's. Sarah Sievewright from SDDBS was brilliant she contacted someone from the Underheugh Ark who knew a lovely experienced mastiff foster mum. Within 1 hour of calling the SDDBS they had found him a home where he would stay until he was neutered & ready to go to his forever home. Then only
I had him for only 12 days but he made a huge impact on me & all my neighbours. He was a gentle, sweet, clumsy baby who within days was house trained, crate trained & knew the basic commands sit, down, roll over & stay!! He was brilliant & put my terrier to shame as she won't do any commands!! I read so much about how they could be stubborn & difficult to train conventionally. I miss him terribly, there is a huge Bruno sized whole in my life & although I know he's happy & that I done the right thing sending him to live with his foster Michelle & her pet Mastiff until they find him the right home I selfishly wish he was still here with me now!
I desperately want to now foster dogs in need, there are so many particularly the bull & mastiff breeds HOWEVER cos I have a young daughter under 10 living at home with me I will not pass the home inspection . Obviously my daughters safety comes first that goes without question but surely they rescue of a tiny minority of mastiffs that have came from a family with young kids & are proven safe around young children. Then an introduction could be made in front of a behaviorist or similar to check on how the dog perceives the child & if there's any tension, fear or aggression??
So now I am ray: praying to the doggy God for a chance to foster a beautiful Mastiff in need....
Anyway I've talked about him so much, here is two of the 620 pictures I have of Bruno-