The Tibetan Mastiff - A Complete Anthology of the Dog

By Read Books Ltd.

The Tibetan Mastiff - A Complete Anthology of the Dog gathers together all the best early writing on the breed from our library of scarce, out-of-print antiquarian books and documents and reprints it in a quality, modern edition. This anthology includes chapters taken from a comprehensive range of books, many of them now rare and much sought-after works, all of them written by renowned breed experts of their day. These books are treasure troves of information about the breed - The physical points, temperaments, and special abilities are given; celebrated dogs are discussed and pictured; and the history of the breed and pedigrees of famous champions are also provided. The contents were well illustrated with numerous photographs of leading and famous dogs of that era and these are all reproduced to the highest quality. Books used include: British Dogs by W. D. Drury (1903), Dogs Of The World by Arthur Craven (1931), About Our Dogs by A. Croxton Smith (1931) and many others.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read Books Ltd.
• Release date: Jun 14, 2011
• ISBN: 9781446549674

Book preview

1935

THE THIBET MASTIFF

THESE dogs are comparatively rare in England, and only occasionally met with at our shows; but they are such magnificent animals that it is to be regretted that they are not bred here, as they are really well worth cultivating for their noble appearance, and under the skill and care of English breeders their natural good qualities, grand proportions, and noble bearing would be developed to the utmost.

In their native country they are used as guardians of the flock and the family; and half a dozen of them, with their bristles up, would certainly present a formidable front to marauders, human or lupine.

In general contour they bear a resemblance to our English Mastiff, although the rough, dense coat and black colour form a strong contrast to the rich fawns and fallows of our home breed, with their close-lying, short, and shining jackets.

The subject of our illustration (Fig. 22)—Siring—was a remarkably fine specimen, one of two exhibited by the King, at that time the Prince of Wales, at the Alexandra Palace Show, December, 1875. The pair were exceedingly well matched, and were much admired, Siring being, perhaps, a shade the better. Both the specimens were well formed, strong in the back and loins, deep ribbed, with well-developed quarters, and standing on stout, straight legs.

In size they are not quite equal to our native Mastiffs, although the long coat gives them an advantage in appearance. The coat is about as long as a Newfoundland’s, and very dense; not sleek and glossy, but rough, without being harsh. The colour is black, inclining to brownish-black on some parts of the body, and the soft undercoat is of a fulvous colour. The tail is large, well furnished with hair, and carried pretty high,