SHOULD YOU ADOPT?

Should a Rescue Mastiff Be a Part of Your Family?

Owning a Rescue Mastiff can be extremely rewarding. While Rescue Mastiffs are loving gentle giants, they all come with some form of Baggage (from mental to physical abuse, or just plain depressed because their old family no longer wanted them).

While Mastiffs can range in size from 26 to 36 inches at the shoulder and 140 to 210 pounds, many of our Rescue Mastiffs don’t approach those figures. It is not uncommon to find a gem of a Rescue Mastiff that is much smaller than the average Mastiff.

Rescue Mastiffs have been traumatized to some degree and some can be very shy, so please be patient and understanding if they don’t immediately fit the outgoing confident Mastiff you have read about in books. If you give them time, they should become a wonderful addition to your family.

Why Do I Want a Rescue Mastiff?

Do you want a Mastiff and don’t want to pay the reputable breeder’s price of $2,000 or more for a pet quality Mastiff? Do you want to have a Rescue Mastiff in the yard to scare away burglars? Do you want a guard dog? Do you want a Rescue Mastiff to go jogging or bike riding with you? Do you want a Rescue Mastiff to be a companion to your other dog(s)? Do you want to give a needy Rescue Mastiff a home with love so the Rescue Mastiff will know what it means to be loved?

These are just some of the questions we hope you ask yourself and answer honestly to make sure you, your family, and your Rescue Mastiff will enjoy a loving lifetime together.

Rescue Mastiffs can make wonderful companions. Many of our Rescue Mastiffs were left outside chained to a tree or were left alone in a fenced yard with little or no human companionship. Rescue Mastiffs desperately need lots of love and human companionship.

While many people think a huge back yard is necessary for your Rescue Mastiff, most of our Rescue Mastiffs just want a comfortable couch to lay on to make sure it doesn’t float away. This doesn’t mean that they don’t have to have some form of exercise daily to help keep them fit so they can live longer.

Many of our Rescue Mastiffs who were once regulated to the back yard will blossom when they become a member of the family.

Rescue Mastiffs are not guard dogs. Some of our Rescue Mastiffs have been so abused (either physically or mentally) that they don’t even make a good watch dog. Yet sometimes our Rescue Mastiffs surprise us with their courage. For example: A female Rescue Mastiff had been so abused that when the adoptive dad removed his belt from his slacks at night, she cringed. Imagine our surprise when she went through the American Temperament Test Society’s temperament test and protected her “daddy” from the weird stranger! Love works wonders for Rescue Mastiffs.

Do you have young children? Rescue Mastiffs are generally good with children. If at all possible, Rescue Mastiffs have lived in a foster home with children, before being placed in a forever home with children. Also, please remember that the swinging tail of a Rescue Mastiff can knock over a small child or clear a coffee table. If you have very small children who are just learning to walk, you may want to consider an older Rescue Mastiff who was raised with children.

Do you have other dogs or cats? Some Rescue Mastiffs are very good with other dogs and/or cats while some have been so starved that they will look upon cats as food items.

Generally if you have an adult male dog we try to place a female Rescue Mastiff with you since opposite sexes tend to get along better.

Are you a very neat person? Does the sight of 2 foot long drool slinger bother you? Mastiffs drool, some more than others, but all do after they eat, or drink, or while you are eating pizza . Does the sight of drool on your television or hanging from your ceiling fan bother you? If you love the idea of a giant breed, but cannot handle the drooling, please consider a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog or another large breed of dog. Many breeders are crossing the Mastiff with other breeds to make a “dry mouth Mastiff aka American Mastiff” and the results can be devastating with regards to temperament and health.

Are you a light sleeper? Does snoring bother you? Mastiffs snore and some quite loudly. Mastiffs might want to keep you warm at night or share your bedroom with you and keep you awake half the night with their snoring.

How Much Does it Cost to Properly Maintain My Rescue Mastiff?

A Rescue Mastiff can easily consume between forty and eighty pounds of premium dog food per month, which works out to somewhere in the neighborhood of $45-$90 just for food alone.

Then you have Heartworm preventative, usually about $40 a box for 6 pills. This might not sound too bad, but when you consider they need 2 pills a month instead of just 1, the 6 month supply is really only a 3 month supply.

Because of a Rescue Mastiff’s larger size, and dosages of medications are based on weight, you can expect to pay more for medications for a Rescue Mastiff than your neighbor pays for the same medications for his Labrador Retriever. Due to the size of your Rescue Mastiff, it is not uncommon to have to shell out $1500-$2000 or more for surgery if something unexpected happens to your beloved Rescue Mastiff down the road.

Do I Have the Time for a Rescue Mastiff?

Who among us has not wished for more hours in the day at some point in our lives? Do you have the time to add an addition to your household? Adopting a Rescue Mastiff has been equated with adopting a child.

All Rescue Mastiffs benefit from obedience training. The obedience training class can be a bonding time for you and your Rescue Mastiff. Take the time to sit in on an obedience class before you take your Rescue Mastiff to class. Does the trainer use positive reinforcement methods, if not, find another class. Do you have time for a cup of coffee in the morning before work? Incorporate that time with obedience lessons such as sit and down. Training should be fun. 

Many people do not realize that a short-coated dog sheds 365 days a year. A Rescue Mastiff will benefit from being brushed daily. This is also a bonding time for you and your Rescue Mastiff. You can learn of lumps, bumps, cuts, scrapes, sore muscles, or sore joints, quicker with a daily brushing.

The more time you can actually have your hands on your Rescue Mastiff, the easier it will be for your veterinarian to check your Rescue Mastiff. Do you have the time to sit with your Rescue Mastiff in the evening, brushing, petting, checking ears, or toenails daily?

Some Rescue Mastiffs need their ears cleaned daily or weekly. Some Rescue Mastiffs may need their toenails clipped weekly. Do you brush your teeth daily? Rescue Mastiff can also benefit from having their teeth brushed so they do not develop bad teeth or gums down the road. Many times with Rescue Mastiffs, brushing teeth must be done slowly until they learn to trust you.

Are You Ready for a Velcro Rescue Mastiff?

Do you have qualms about privacy in the bathroom or while you are in the kitchen while cooking dinner? It is not uncommon for a Rescue Mastiff to follow you from room to room while you are home. It may take several years before your Rescue Mastiff allows you to be out of site for any length of time while you are home. Many of our Rescue Mastiffs have been so starved for love and affection, that they may actually be worried you are not coming back to them.

Mastiffs, as a breed, are not like the Sporting breeds or Herding breeds wanting to run and play all day long. A walk in the cool morning or evening around the block, learning to swim in your swimming pool (if you have one), chasing squirrels in your back yard may be all the other exercise required after following you around the house all day long.

Do I Want to Change my Lifestyle to own a Rescue Mastiff?

Does your car have only two seats? Do you have a pickup truck with no back seat? Then you might need to change some things in your lifestyle as Rescue Mastiffs might enjoy going for rides to the parks, beaches, magic windows where food miraculously comes to the driver, or just to the post office and back home, not to mention those necessary trips to the veterinarian.

Do you live in an apartment? A small house with no fenced in back yard? You might want to consider having a fenced yard since it can be hard to go outside to potty at 3 am while the snow is blowing or the rains are pounding.

Do you hate poop patrol? Think about it, Rescue Mastiffs eat a lot more than your neighbor’s Dachshund and therefore what goes in, must come out.

Do you prefer to be left alone in the evenings or do you enjoy petting and snuggling with a pet? Rescue Mastiffs love to lean on you, sit on your feet, steal the couch or even push you off the bed!

Please remember that we are here for you, before and after the Adoption, to help answer any questions you may have and to make sure you and your Rescue Mastiff share a happy and rewarding lifetime together.