Glacier Mastiffs

Tony and Cece Wardell

Kalispell, Montana

406-752-0127

cecewardell@yahoo.com

Members of:

Flathead Valley Kennel Club

MCOA

MCOA DNA HEALTH COMMITTEE

MCOA CANCER COMMITTEE

Pacific Northwest Mastiff Fanciers 

Charter Member/Board member CEMC

 GLACIER MASTIFFS

  

Hidden Lake, Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park

Welcome to Glacier Mastiffs.  We are located near beautiful Kalispell, Montana just 30 minutes from Glacier National Park.  My husband and I moved here 6 years ago when our kids grew up and went off on their own.  We live on a small farm we have 43 acres and have 10 Mastiffs, 8 Cows, 4 Horses, Chickens and cats.  I love the country and beautiful landscape that surrounds me.

 

Titus and me when he was11 months old/ Tony and Cinder she is 2 mon old 

My Husband and I dreamed of owning Mastiffs for many years and decided 5 years ago it was time. I retired from my job and felt I wanted to devote my life to these amazing animals. We now have a new focus in our life, being owned by these magnificant dogs.  They provide us with love, devotion, laughter, and guardianship. Our Mastiffs are our family they are raised in our home and spend most of their time on the couch or on the bed.  They love to snuggle close and be with me at all times they follow me around from room to room. Now I can not imagine my life without at least a Mastiff or two or three or more.

In fact, we just had to add on to our home to accomodate all the furry kids. They now have their own bedrooms, a feeding room, as well as having the run of the rest of house. They also have a 24X30 ft indoor kennel complete with 2 sofas and a full size bed for their comfort but are rarely in it except for the times I need to leave for town.

First and foremost they are our pets, but we do show them in conformation, they all go through basic obedience, and some get their CGC certificates, and some are therapy dogs.  They love people and especially kids, they get the "wiggle butts" when a child comes to pet them. We socialize them to a wide variety of situations they love to visit the feed stores and Petco. People are so intrigued by thier size and how gentle they are.

We will breed our Mastiffs for show and as pets. We will limit our breeding program to acheive the true Mastiff type, good health and excellent temperment.  All our dogs arer health tested and we follow the code of ethics set forth by the MCOA. All our dogs are in there forever homes.  I do not believe in rehoming breeding girls or the Mastiffs that do not make it in the show ring.  All these dogs are apart of my family now and forever.  I breed for me and plan to keep puppies from every breeding to add to my breeding program.  I have my breedings planned out many generations and do not follow others plan but have my own. My goal is to create Mastiffs with great heads, body, muscle and lines.

We hope that through proper education you will not support backyard breeders, puppy mills or pet stores.

Most reputable breeders want nothing more than to improve this breed through responsable breeding and education of their puppy buyers for life of the Mastiff.

We hope you enjoy our site and we hope that you learn more about how special, and noble these dogs really are.

"What the Lion is to the cat, the Mastiff is to the dog, the noblest of the family, he stands alone and all others sink before him.  His courage does not exceed his temper and generosity, and in attachment he equals the kindest of his race.  His docility is perfect: the teasing of the smaller kinds will hardly provoke him to resent, and I have seen him down his paw the terrier or the cur that has bit him without offering further injury in a family he will permit the children to play with him, and suffer all their pranks without offense."  Cynographia Brittanica

The Mastiff is descended from the ancient Molosser recongnized as the oldest British breed. Different from the Mastiff of today which as been bred in its present form for less than two centuries. Mastiff type dogs found on Egyptian monuments dating to about 3,000 b.c. The history of Mastiff's is one of Dogs of War, Fighting Dogs, Guard dogs and the dog of Kings.  All noting the loyality, the strength, the courage, and the devotion of this fine animal. Throughout its long history, the Mastiff has contributed to the development of a number of dog breeds.

Unfortunately, World War I and World War II almost took the breed to extinction. It is believed that the number of Mastiffs left in England by 1947 had fallen to seven. Luckily, with the additional Mastiffs in the USA and Canada, and the dedication of Mastiff fanciers in all three countries, the breed has been brought back so that we may now enjoy these tremendous and most noble of all dogs.

The Mastiff is often referred to as "gentle giants" – loving and gentle. 

They are a fine loyal dog for the family. A proper Mastiff would never knowingly hurt a child or an adult as they are extremely tolerant but yet protective of a child and their human family. The Mastiff is very affectionate yet needy and they must be with their family. Not knowing their size they have the desire to try and be lap dogs by crawling up on you or the couch to snuggle their way into your heart. They need to be inside with the family not outside in a kennel or on a chain. They are very well behaved in the house.

Mastiffs are the largest in weight of the dog breeds, and can weigh anywhere from 140 lbs to 230+ lbs. Despite their great size, they are extremely gentle, docile, and sensitive.

Mastiffs do slobber, some more than others. They all will drool after eating or drinking, watching you eat, or if they are waiting for a tasty treat. You will need to keep plenty of slobber rags placed at strategic locations around the house. Routinely walk through the house to remove the slinggers that amazingly land in the craziest places.

Most Mastiffs do snore, sometimes quite loudly.

Mastiffs are expensive to purchase, raise, and maintain. While they don’t eat as much as you might think for such a large dog, they do eat a lot of food, especially while they are gaining up to five pounds of weight per week as a growing pup. A Mastiff may go through 40 to 80 lbs of dog food in a month. This will taper off as they mature to 4-5 cups per day. But it is an expense that must be thought through.

Mastiffs are also more expensive when it comes to veterinary and medical costs. Most medicine and antibiotic dosages are based on weight, and since Mastiff’s are the heaviest breed of dog you can imagine the amount of medication needed.  Not every Vet is trained or have the facilities to handle such a large animal as their needs are different than the typical dog. Please question your vet on their experience with large breed dogs.

The Mastiff has special needs, its combination of grandeur, dignity and courage; calm and affectionate to its owners but capable of guarding.  The breed is innately good natured, easygoing and amazingly gentle. This is an extremely loyal breed, it is devoted to its family and they will give their whole heart to them, it will greive, love, be a peacemaker and a guardian to you and your family.

They are the most noble of all dog breeds – the lion of dogdom.

  

English Champion Hollesley Medicine Man

This breed is powerfully built, with a massive body, broad skull and head of generally square appearance.

The size should be very large, but it must be balanced by soundness. The body is massive with great breadth, especially between the forelegs, causing these to be set wide apart.The short coat is close-lying and the color is apricot, silver-fawn, fawn, or brindles apricot or fawn, always with black on the muzzle, ears, and nose and around the eyes.