AtDDtA1: Pugnax

[David Morris]

One "Molossoid" breed is the Tibetan mastiff, the likey stand-in for
the Tibetan Snow Lion, guardians of the Temple.

http://www.arba.org/TibetanMastiffBS.htm

The Tibetan Mastiff (Do Khyi) is an ancient working breed of the nomad
herders of the Himalaya and a traditional guardian of the Tibetan
monasteries.  It has been surrounded by great myth since its first
discovery in antiquity.  From the mentioning by Aristoteles (384-322
b.C.) to the famous writings of Marco Polo, who went to Asia in 1271,
all historical reports praise the natural strength and impressiveness
of the Tibetan Mastiff- both physically and mentally.  Even its bark
has been described as a unique and highly treasured feature of the
breed.  Leading European cynologists of the past, like Martin and
Youatt, Megnin, Beckmann, Siber as well as Strebel and Bylandt have
intensively covered the Tibetan Mastiff, as they had been fascinated
by its origin and function in the Tibetan culture.  Some even
considered the breed to be the very forefather of all large mountain
and mastiff breeds.  One of the first known Tibetan Mastiffs to reach
Western shores was a male sent to Queen Victoria by Lord Hardinge
(then Viceroy of India) in 1847.  Later in the 1880s, Edward VII (then
Prince of Wales) took two dogs back to England.  An early recorded
litter of Tibetan Mastiffs was born in 1898 in the Berlin Zoo.


On 1/23/07, Ya Sam <takoitov at hotmail.com> wrote:
> Canis Pugnax
>
> When the Roman Empire conquered Italy, they soon discovered the
> Molossoid dogs' power as war and fighting dogs. They worked very seriously
> and purposefully to improve the breed in the second and first centuries BC.
> They developed what we today call the Canis pugnax (the Roman Wardog) which
> they used in warfare as well as in dog fights in the theaters (in fights
> against other animals such as
> lions, bears etc. as well as humans)
>
> The Canis pugnax became the progenitor of the Italian molossoid dogs: Cane
> Corso, and its local varieties - Mastino Napolitano, Dogo Sardo, Cane Di
> Mannera, Branchiero Siciliano, and the Sicilian Vuccerisco.
>
> The appearance of Canis pugnax in antique statues and mosaic works is well
> documented. They have a striking likeness with our
> Cane Corsos, which apparently haven't changed much in the 2000 years that
> have passed since the days of the Roman Empire. The Canis pugnax were
> muscular and powerful without any excess of weight. They were very mobile
> and had staying power. Mentally they must have been very aggressive.
>
> http://stormywinnscanecorso.com/id13.html
>
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