Angus Our Neapolitan Mastiff

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Spring 2010

He was about 140 pounds by springtime. No fat and still growing!!

February 2010

He liked sleeping in his crate... But he out grew the crate pretty quick and now opts for any of the couches in the house.

Angus ended up getting cherry eye in both eyes. Neo's need the third eyelid removed not tucked. The first vet we went to would not listen to us and scarred Angus. We finally found a vet who knew what we were talking about and fixed the scarring the first vet did. Cherry eye is very common for Neo's, but you need to find the right vet that knows to remove the third eyelid and that it causes no harm to the breed.

Winter 2009/2010

His first time in snow. He loves the snow!!

These are some of the last pictures that I could actually carry Angus.

His first Christmas 2009

We won a photo contest with this picture. First place out of thousands. He was so patient taking this picture.

Then, he ate the hat!!

Fitting right in to our house

His two favorite things to do is eat and sleep...In that order. He was growing about five to six pounds a week!!

Finally arrives at Logan International Airport. November 2009

Look at the size of his paws and he is only ten weeks old!!

He was a bit scared, but seemed to calm once Kelly held him for the first time.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

September 2009 - Happiness is a warm puppy. ~Charles M. Schulz

Angus and his brothers and sisters

5 weeks old. We had searched for a couple of years to find the right puppy for our family. We finally found the right breeder from Apple Creek Ohio. Amzing Love Neapolitan Mastiffs. These pictures were taken by our breeder before Angus arrived to our house.

Neapolitan Mastiff History:

Tracing its roots to the Molossus dogs that existed in Rome before Christ, the Neapolitan Mastiff has a rich and intriguing history. They were thought to have been brought to Rome by Alexander the Great when he traveled from Greece. Alexander the Great apparently prized the ancient Molossus dogs for fighting and defending, and that is what they were bred for. Alexander was given a pair of these dogs from Asia, supposedly after he defeated King Porus in Northern India in 326 B.C. So the breed is over 2000 years old, and may have had its roots in Asia. After they were brought to Rome they were used in animal fights in the arenas, pitted against leopards, bears, lions and even gladiators. They were also excellent guard dogs for their armies. They made their way to the Middle East as well, serving their duties there. Known for at least 2000 years ago in Southern Italy, the breed didn't actually appear publicly until 1946 in the Naples dog show. It is thought that during this show, a painter named Piero Scanziani was so impressed that he bought his own Neos and began a kennel. He developed the breed into what it is today, and is thought of as the modern father of the breed. He created a standard for the breed and it was accepted by the Italian Kennel Club. Appearing to be a mix of a Lion, Gargoyle and Mollosser, this breed is truly a work of fine Italian art. Brought back from near extinction after World War II by a dedicated group of breeders in Italy, this breed still continues to flourish in Italy and recently the United States. They were only brought to the U.S. and the other parts of Europe in the 1970s. Regardless, they continue to grow in number in North America, Germany, France, Spain, England, other European countries, and even Israel.