Are these breeds known to be vicious? That poor little girl!
English Mastiffs aren’t. They sleep 23 1/2 hours/day.
Seems the French are more high-strung.
“French Mastiff is also known as the Dogue de Bordeaux. they’re miscellaneous dogs and can be used for anything (ie. working, herding, companion, guarding, sporting, non-sporting, etc. etc). either gender can be up to 27 inches at the withers and can weigh up to 100 lbs. although the Dogue de Bordeaux has a forbidding look, the dogs desire for attention and affection is intense! it’s somewhat leery of strangers and may be aggressive toward strange dogs, but it gets along well with children and makes a loving family pet with a calm, tranquil disposition. the Dogue de Bordeaux’s origin is not known, but it’s likely that the Mastiff and Bulldog each played a part in its development. the breed was once used as a fighting dog, challenging bulls, bears and other dogs. the Dogue is powerful and massive, but surprisingly athletic and quick. a large, expressive head characterizes this breed, and as with most dogs that were once bred for fighting, the Dogue de Bordeaux has a powerful jaw. this breed is built low to the ground, but is well balanced.”
i’m not trying to be picking on you but your first comment are these “breeds known to be vicious?”
most vicious breeds I know of are Chihuahuas and Mini-Pins
Mastiffs are usually lazy slobberers...like St Bernards or Newfies with less hair and a bit more guard instinct
what is considered vicious today centers around two things...size obviously but some big dogs are pretty harmless baring the most extreme provocation and what the dog was bred for which if it includes ratting does appear to at least make them more dog aggressive
two man human killers are Rotts and Pits in the order...and then it goes down the line....reason those two head up the list is simple... their numbers are great and they are BIG enough to kill people....the aforementioned Chihuahuas and Mini-Pins are not big enough...thankfully
after Rotts and Pits come I think Shepherds, Mastiffs and all their cousins and then mixed breed dogs and mongrels all the way down to a Yorkie who killed a newborn
the biggest factor is sheer numbers...when I was a kid it was Shepherd (RinTinTin) then Dobies and the Rotts who have held that dubious title since (I have owned two)...and of which is culture and Hollywood drive and in the case of Pits...bad culture...frequently the Drooges of our society...urban black thugs, latino gangs and redneck pot growing dog-cock fighters...(I know the latter personally...I loathe them and they know it)
In deference to Chet and his posse whom I disagree with on their fixation with Pits....the Pits and their various bulldog cousins (I own one)...Americans, Alpahahas, Ole English Bulldogge, big Staffies etc are more dog aggressive...no question of that..an uncut male of those breeds should not be unsupervised around lapdogs
and no dog of any breed unsupervised around infants or toddlers
our cats slept with our infants but I would not allow that with our American bulldog now or my Rotts or Dobies in the past...they are still wild animals possibly...you just never know...why take the chance btw....socialize, socialize, socialize.....our big bulldog is always with us... he really needs no fence when we are in the back pasture...he just stays underfoot...they are like that a hound would run off
NO! I am a bullmastiff owner and they are known to be very gentle and docile. They are prized for their protectivness of their owner and their owner’s property. I have read many accounts of bullies putting themselves between owner and threat. Just like any breed, there can be vicious dogs. My uncle had a Great Pyramese put down a year ago for biting a neighbor kid. He never showed any agression before that.
Our Sampson was as sweet as can be with our son. The only thing we ever worried about was that Sampson did not know his size. He thought he was a lap dog. A 135 pound lap dog.
Ive never known one to be vicious. My stepson had one and he was the sweetest dog you have ever seen. They are a lot like a Boxer. He also had several Pit Bulls and I didn’t trust them at all but the Bull Mastiff was a very sweet intelligent loyal dog. He died after being attacked by one of the Pit Bulls.
Any dog can bite, and large dog can do damage. I cannot imagine the horror of your child being mauled by any animal.
I really don’t know...but my father and I were standing in his driveway one day when the little kid down the street (12yrs?) came by walking one of those dogs. We chatted for a few minutes and the dog seemed fine. Suddenly, without warning, the dog lunged towards my dad’s throat. My dad was just standing there doing nothing to the dog or the child walking this dog.
I don't believe it is a breed thing- I think any particular dog can be a danger especially to a child in some circumstances. A four year old daughter of a friend of ours was attacked by a Mastiff at a family picnic recently. They raise Mastiffs but the dog that attacked the child belonged to another family member. Thank goodness after surgery the little girl recovered.
We have always owned large dogs including Pits and Pit mixes and plenty of mixed breeds we weren't sure what they were. We safely raised children with them, but I never ever trusted any dog expecially a large one around children. Never. One of our girls was bitten on the cheek at a friend's house by their weenie dog and that was the only bad encounter our kids ever had with a dog.
I read that most dog attacks are on children and many by family pets- I have no idea why a pet would suddenly attack a child but I guess it might have something to do with nature driven predator/prey and possibly the dog not understanding that a child is a small person. Who knows really?
One reason I am against singling out any breed as being dangerous is that I am afraid if people blame "the breed" no matter what breed it is they may be careless with other dogs around children. That would be a big mistake in my opinion.