Mastiff Did You Know?

• The Mastiff was supposed to have originated in Asia.



• Drawings on Egyptian monuments depict typical Mastiffs dating about 3000 BC; in literature, the earliest Mastiff reference occurs 1121 BC.



• Caesar described Mastiffs in his account of invading Britain in 55 BC.



• The Mastiff was matched against human gladiators as well as against bulls, bears, lions, and tigers.



• The Mastiff entertained nobility in dog fights, and later the general public, at places like the "Westminster Pit" in London, a fashionable sporting establishment.



• The Mastiff is documented in Chaucer, who describes them as "large as steer."