My first dog

Lucabrasi - 12-18-2008 at 09:33 AM

So it looks like I'll be adopting a dog in the very near future. I have to go up to the kennel where he is to meet him and I'm pretty excited. He is a 15 month old longhaired Bull Mastiff named Leo. I talked with the lady at the kennel and she had nothing but good thing to say about him. He get along well with children, cats and other dogs. He will fit right in with my 12 hour overnight shifts and has no destructive behaviors or seperation anxiety. My hope is to go up there within the next couple weeks to get him. Being the Holiday season and with my weekend work schedule I wont be able to make it up any sooner. Here is a picture of him.

tireironsaint - 12-18-2008 at 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Boycott Christian HC
Hey, that rules.

clevohardcore - 12-18-2008 at 11:17 AM

I have a friend that has a mastiff. I'll ask which type but that dog is way fucking good with his kid and wife, but go near the the yard and its over for ya if he doesn't know ya. It is a moose and eats a shit load of food. Seriously, budget accordingly. They eat a ton.

CR83 - 12-18-2008 at 12:22 PM

Mastiffs are an amazing breed. Very good family dog. They let the kids have their way with them and are even tempered but mess with their family and look out. Wonderful breed. Get him swimming in the summer. It is perfect exercise for them.

Congrats and way to go with adopting him too. You are officially a hero now.

BKT - 12-18-2008 at 01:02 PM

Nice work dude. It is always nice when you can give a dog a home that did not have one previously. The Bull Mastiff is a wonderful breed and one of the better Mastiff breeds to start out with if this is your first Mastiff. My only suggestion would be constant socialization and training for the rest of his life. These are dogs are the best dog in the world if given structure and proper training, if not they will become a liability. There is a really good website called http://molosserdogs.com/index.php and it is a message board for just about every Mastiff breed out there. If you have any question or concerns about your dog I can assure you that you will find the answer on here.

Also I do have a lot of experience with Mastiff breeds as I have had Rottweilers in the past and have a Cane Corso now, so if you have any questions feel free to ask me and I will do my best to help.

Congrats he is going to be such a great addition to your family and so happy that you gave him a loving home.

MM.

Voodoobillyman - 12-18-2008 at 01:04 PM

Good on you for adopting bro.

Dave - 12-18-2008 at 01:15 PM

SWEET

Furly - 12-18-2008 at 01:42 PM

He's rad! I want to cuddle with him.

thedog - 12-18-2008 at 01:55 PM

thats awesome man.
congrats to you and leo.

Lucabrasi - 12-18-2008 at 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by metal mulisha
Nice work dude. It is always nice when you can give a dog a home that did not have one previously. The Bull Mastiff is a wonderful breed and one of the better Mastiff breeds to start out with if this is your first Mastiff. My only suggestion would be constant socialization and training for the rest of his life. These are dogs are the best dog in the world if given structure and proper training, if not they will become a liability. There is a really good website called http://molosserdogs.com/index.php and it is a message board for just about every Mastiff breed out there. If you have any question or concerns about your dog I can assure you that you will find the answer on here.

Also I do have a lot of experience with Mastiff breeds as I have had Rottweilers in the past and have a Cane Corso now, so if you have any questions feel free to ask me and I will do my best to help.

Congrats he is going to be such a great addition to your family and so happy that you gave him a loving home.

MM.

I appreciate all the help dude. I remember talking to you about getting a cane corso and I had looked around on pet finder but couldn't find one located in Vt. Closest has always been NY and I'm not able to travel that far.

I went to my soon to be vet today to see what kind of dog food they have. I've known the owners since I was a little kid so we have a good relationship. Apparently the New England Mastiff Rescue contacted her to do a background kinda check on me. Well the lady at the rescue told my vet that Leo is " a train wreck waiting to happen" He has a hip disorder which is incurable and he is only 15 months old. I new about the hip problem but was told by the lady fostering him that if I followed the proper guidelines to keep him healthy it would be 7 or so years before he starts to show any real bad signs of it. My vet basically told me what it is I am getting myself into with this dog. I gave her the number to the lady who is fostering him so she could ask her the real important questions herself since she knows better then I would. The decision is ultimately mine but if his hip problem is already moderate to severe then I wont adopt him. I don't have the money to pay for all the vet bills he could need and I just cant deal with getting attached to him (which I would) and then have to put him down a year or so down the road.

As it stands now I'm waiting for my vet to call me back with the information and I'll make my decision then. it just sucks because everything seemed to be so perfect and then in a matter of minutes the possibility of having this dog has shifted to the opposite side. I guess that will teach me to assume things are a done deal when their not.

CR83 - 12-18-2008 at 05:36 PM

Here's my guy keeping an eye on me.

Enyo - 12-18-2008 at 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Lucabrasi

Quote:

That sucks so much. I understand totally what you mean though. Our newest bundle of joy was an absolute wreck when we got him. He is pure pitbull and had been horribly abused (we think he was a bait dog). He was so afraid of people that the shelter almost didn't let us take him. He spent his first week home curled into a ball shaking and urinating on himself. He has been here almost 6 months and now is a total goofball who does several tricks and loves to snuggle.
I realize a major health issue isn't the same thing and I can't say that I blame you for not wanting to risk it.

How do I insert a picture of my little guy?

BKT - 12-18-2008 at 06:26 PM

Man hip problems are a big issue with large breed dogs and you would not believe the amount they can cost you. My friends Rottweiler had to have both hips replaced and he was only 15 months old. We had a fund raiser for him because the surgery costed $10 000. If you own one of these breeds pet insurance is a must.

If this dog has a hip problem I hate to be negative, but chances are it will only get worse. See if they have his hip scores and show those to your vet. Other than surgery there is really no way to fix a bad hip problem and ever then the surgery may not work. Not trying to rain on your parade, I just would hate to see you get into this dog and then have to put him down.

Truth is, if this does not work out you should just keep on looking. It took me 3 years before I found a good breeder and the right dog and it was well worth the wait. You will find your dog dude, don't get discouraged.

MM.

Lucabrasi - 12-18-2008 at 06:44 PM

No worries about pissing on my parade. You're right that is wont get any better. I found out its called Hip Dysplasia which is not curable. For me its not so much that he has the hip problem its that if I adopt him it wouldn't be fair to him because I just dont have the money to keep him comfortable. I'm still gonna keep looking. I'll find one eventually if it doesn't work out with Leo

joey - 12-18-2008 at 07:01 PM

I hope everything works out for the best

Lucabrasi - 1-10-2009 at 11:40 AM

::UPDATE::

There is a dog out in OH named Rita. She is a 5yo Bullmastiff and needed a home badly. The lady I've been talking to in Vermont (who had Leo) said that Rita would be a good dog for me and that they could fly Rita over here (no charge to me) so I could adopt her. Her adoption fee is very reasonable as well which only sweetens the deal. As of now the transportation is being worked out and I'll know more when that gets taken care of. I have some pics of what she looks like also. She seems fairly smaller then what a Bullmastiff should but thats fine with me.

Enyo - 1-10-2009 at 11:52 AM

She's beautiful!!! I hope everything works out for you with this one.

BKT - 1-10-2009 at 12:42 PM

Dude that is a great looking dog. I assume that it is a female. They are usually a lot smaller then the males which is why you may have noticed the size difference. That dog will love you like no other, it is amazing how appreciative a dog can be when you give it a home.

Good luck with her.

MM.

JawnDiablo - 1-10-2009 at 01:37 PM

Dude, he's awesome!
I wish I could have a cool dog.
But I live in a small place, and we have the cat on the downlow at the moment.
Someday when I get a house I'm gettin me a canine sidekick.

Lucabrasi - 1-11-2009 at 03:50 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Enyo
She's beautiful!!! I hope everything works out for you with this one.

Thanks! I hope everything works out also. I'll post more pics when I get her home

Lucabrasi - 1-11-2009 at 03:56 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by metal mulisha
Dude that is a great looking dog. I assume that it is a female. They are usually a lot smaller then the males which is why you may have noticed the size difference. That dog will love you like no other, it is amazing how appreciative a dog can be when you give it a home.

Good luck with her.

MM.

Thanks MM!

Yes it is a Female and really is a good looking dog. The first pic makes my heart melt and say "awww". I feel like such a sissy

She has had a rough life so I'll do my best to make the rest of her life as stress free as possible.

How is your Cane Corso doing? Is their a difference between Corso's and Neapolitan Mastiffs or are they the same and go by both names? I kept my eyes open for one but none were up for adoption in VT.

BKT - 1-11-2009 at 11:40 AM

The Neo and the Cane are two different breeds both from Italy. They do how ever share some of the same blood and the Cane is more or less a smaller version of the Neo. The Neo was bred for more of a protection roll in mind while the Cane was bred as a smaller more agile dog that was used as a hired hand around the farm. While they are still very good protection dogs their temperament is a bit more mellow and they were generally used more for herding livestock and hunting big game as well. The Neo's can grow to be over 150 lbs and the Cane should should not exceed 125lbs. They American standard is different then the Italian, but in terms of the size of the American Cane Corso they really make no sense and totally defeat the original purpose of the dog.

Sorry for the long winded answer and my dog is doing really well.

Put up some more pics when you have a chance and if you ever have any questions let me know and I will do my best to provide a proper answer.

MM.

Lucabrasi - 1-11-2009 at 11:55 PM

Thanks MM. I will post more pics either when I get more or when I get her. I will surely ask for your advice when needed. You seem to know what you're talking about and if I remember correctly you're no stranger to these kind of breeds.

CR83 - 1-12-2009 at 12:47 PM

This is an awesome story. I'm a big dog nerd and to see you adopting makes it even better.

Lucabrasi - 1-13-2009 at 01:49 AM

Thanks Chris. I just got an e-mail saying the transportation application is being filled out and If everything goes smoothly I should have her is about a week. It really depends on the weather though because they wont fly her here is its bad. Its time for me to go shopping for a dog bed, food, collar, toys etc. for her arrival. I'll let you know when I get her and of course post pics.

Enyo - 1-13-2009 at 09:35 AM

If you're handy you could save a ton of money on the dog bed. She'll need something big and the last time I priced them at Petsmart they were around $80. Go to an upholstery shop and buy a large block of foam and if you want to go the extra mile you can buy an eggcrate mattress topper to go on top. Then just sew a cover with a zipper on the side and poof! a nice dog bed for under $20.

BKT - 1-13-2009 at 11:21 AM

I bought two huge dog beds at Costco for $20 each.

MM.

Enyo - 1-13-2009 at 11:52 AM

We don't have a Costco