If you are looking for a dog that will be totally devoted to your family, you should do some research on my breed.  I am Axl, a Mastiff (aka Old English Mastiff) who has a look that does not match my personality.  You can ask anyone in my family, I am a gentle giant and I just want to be with my family members.  

Throughout history there are many tales depicting our loyalty, agility, strength and courageousness.  One story tells of Sir Peers Legh, Knight of Lyme Hall, who lay mortally wounded on the battlefield and the dedicated Mastiff who stood over him and protected him until he was helped by English soldiers.  He later died of his injuries, but his dog’s line has been bred by his family for over 500 years.  There is another story of a Mastiff bringing an elephant down by intimidating the animal with his commanding poise.  But most of my history is related to the complete devotion we have demonstrated to our masters.  Because of this close relationship to our humans and because of their dependence on our protection, we have developed a unique bond with people that make us excellent family pets.  

My breed standard states we should be at least 30 inches at the shoulder in males, and 27.5 inches in females.  Large males can be over 200 pounds.  I am over 190 pounds, which is mostly muscle although my master would say it is mostly the weight of my head alone.  A mastiff once held the world record as the heaviest dog at 343 pounds!  The loose skin on my muzzle gives me a very dignified look and protected us from animal bites when we were in confrontations.      

As a Mastiff, I crave attention and I am very sensitive, so I can be easy to train.  I am adaptable to different lifestyles as I do not require a lot of exercise, grooming or even space.  Despite my size, I can do well in an apartment or a small yard if given sufficient exercise.  I can be lazy if left on my own.  My pack at home includes Pinto the Boston Terrier, who is the alpha dog, our brother Clyde, another Boston Terrier and me, the recessive one in the hierarchy.  My job is to announce visitors, good or bad, so my family is aware of their arrival.  No one who is suspicious or unwelcome would dare set foot on my property after hearing my warning to them.    

Now that I have shown you all my great family pet qualities and you are ready to welcome one of us as a member of the family, I should prepare you for the one characteristic we have that some consider a drawback.   If you have seen the movie, “Turner and Hooch”, you have a peek into what to expect in terms of drool.  Hooch was a Dogue de Bourdeaux, but we have the same loose skin on our muzzle to help with our drooling issue.  I have been told this is not for the faint of heart if you have a great dislike of drool and slobber.  My loyalty to you will outweigh any drooling. And I can assure you; I would let no amount of drooling ever come between you and me if the reverse was true.