The Mastiff: Aristocratic Guardian (The Pure Bred Series)

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Summary: Why you should own "The Aristocratic Guardian"
Review: 23rd November 1998. This well researched and equally well-written book about the Mastiff will undoubtedly become a guideline for many generations to come. I was particularly impressed on how it not only reaches out to the experienced Breeder and Exhibitor but aims to educate the novice breeder and pet owner as well. Coupled with extensive history of the breed it goes on to highlight all the questions that a newcomer to the breed might want to ask. It deals clearly and precisely with whelping and has photographs to guide the new breeder through this traumatic experience. It covers extensive information regarding Musculosketal and Ocular Disorders and how to use supportive measures to deal with these problems. The author writes with clear clarification on problems such as fertility, bloat and pyometra and on how to recognise these signs and to deal efficiently with them. I hope well into the coming Millennium I will still be recommending new-comers and prospective owners of the Breed to read "The Aristocratic Guardian". Jackie Critoph ("Famrise" Mastiffs) (UK). [e-mail]

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Summary: Good Owners Manual
Review: Absolutely the best book on mastiffs ever written. DeeDee Anderson has given us all a glimpse into the past history of this magnificent dog flavored with her own personal charming way of story telling. Well written, well documented, lots of great pictures of the old famous dogs. This book is a treasure no mastiff owner should be without!

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Summary: Mastiff Magic
Review: As a first-time Mastiff-owned person, I was very happy when I received this book as a gift. From the moment I opened it, I knew that this book would be my Mastiff bible. It is filled with historic facts (did you know that Mastiffs were declawed, by law, in the middle ages! ), amusing stories about Mastiffs (you'll see your own dog in these tales), medical information, top producing dogs and bitches, and tons of pictures... this book has it all. Breeders and owners alike will delight in reading this book over and over again. If you are even considering brining one of these gentle giants into your life, this book is a must-read. Mastiffs are not for everyone, but for those of us who are lucky enough to be owned by a Mastiff, I can assure you that this book will become your other best friend. dee dee Anderson knows her audience well; we all love Mastiffs as much as she does.

Rating:
Summary: Mastiff Magic
Review: As a first-time Mastiff-owned person, I was very happy when I received this book as a gift. From the moment I opened it, I knew that this book would be my Mastiff bible. It is filled with historic facts (did you know that Mastiffs were declawed, by law, in the middle ages! ), amusing stories about Mastiffs (you'll see your own dog in these tales), medical information, top producing dogs and bitches, and tons of pictures... this book has it all. Breeders and owners alike will delight in reading this book over and over again. If you are even considering brining one of these gentle giants into your life, this book is a must-read. Mastiffs are not for everyone, but for those of us who are lucky enough to be owned by a Mastiff, I can assure you that this book will become your other best friend. dee dee Anderson knows her audience well; we all love Mastiffs as much as she does.

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Summary: A Superb Reference for Owners and Breeders Alike!!!
Review: deedee Andersson's book provides the best in mastiff reference. As an owner's guide, it provides a superb history of the breed, with sources and information not found anywhere else in the mastiff literature available today. One could not ask for a better reference on all aspects of raising a mastiff. The author's humor, insight, and experience are right on the mark to anyone who has ever had the privilege of being "owned by a mastiff". Perhaps even more significant to the reader who is also a breeder is the phenomenal amount of information on the dogs themselves.....pedigrees that are not easily available elsewhere....pictures of dogs whose names are "household words" in most mastiff breeding programs but who have not been seen by many of those breeding today. These things alone make this book a treasured resource. The mastiff community owes Mrs. Andersson a great debt for producing this work. "The Mastiff: The Aristocratic Guardian" is a rarety in a factual work. Not only does this book give the facts and provide reference, it also reads as easily as a really good book of fiction and is almost impossible to put down. Anyone who loves purebred dogs and is interested in the mastiff will find this work a pure pleasure to explore. For mastiff owners and breeders, this is NOT a book they can afford to miss. No mastiff library is complete without it.

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Summary: If you only buy one, this should be it!
Review: If you only plan on buying one book about Mastiffs, this should be it. I own several mastiff books, but I go to this one when I need information. It is as great a refrence book for the first time owner as it is for the experienced breeder. Full of beautiful pictures, charming anecdotes and detailed history, this book is incredibly informative. Other than the dogs themselves this has been my best mastiff purchase. All mastiff owners and those thinking of becoming mastiff owners should own this book.

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Summary: Required reading from many top breeders
Review: Knowledgable, well-written, fun, and useful. It's like chatting with a fellow Mastiff-maniac.
If you don't have a Mastiff already, get this book and read the chapter about how they will take over your life. If you aren't up to rearranging your life for your dogs, don't get a Mastiff - but they are worth it!

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Summary: A Mastiff book, written from the heart of a Mastiff owner.
Review: MASTIFF Aristocratic Guardian, truly a must read for all Mastiff Fanciers and wanna be Mastiff Fanciers. The author, dee dee Andersson has fulfilled her goal to tell readers why Mastiffs are the greatest animals on earth. dee dee's many years of having been owned by Mastiffs has enabled her to write stories and experiences from her heart. In reading the book, one can not help feeling the affection the author has for the breed.

There has never been a Mastiff book written, depicting the history of this magnificent breed the Mastiff as the author has done. She has written the history of the good and the bad; the terror and the romance; the discrimination and the almost loosing the breed to the past. A reader can well imagine the many, many hours of research involved in writing the in-depth history of the Mastiff as dee dee has done.

Non other than a dedicated Mastiff owner can write of the true temperament of a Mastiff. The author has written this chapter showing great feeling for the breed, knowing from many years of experience, that the Mastiff is not the dog for everyone. As I read this chapter, in some instances I almost felt that the author had crept into the heart of the Mastiff and was writing as if she were the Mastiff.

The author is sharing with the readers a wealth of knowledge in the chapters The Growing Mastiff, Breeding Mastiffs, Whelping & Puppies, and How to Select a Mastiff Puppy. The many, many years of living with Mastiffs shines through these chapters.

When my husband and I owned our very first Mastiff, we would have given our eye teeth to have been able to find such a book as the MASTIFF Aristocratic Guardian.

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Summary: Bursting at the seams with relevant Mastiff information.
Review: This book has been written by someone who not only loves this breed dearly...but who is rich in the experience of its care and knowledge of it's roots.

Every chapter tells both the novice and the expert, something they did not already know. The historical research has been comprehensively and articulately addressed. Going into far greater detail than most subject specific books.

Chapters on conditions such as Bloat, breeding and whelping are so detailed as to provide the owner with all the necessary information to deem themselves, well informed.

Dee has managed to convey the wonderful breed characteristics through sharing delightful anecdotal experiences of her own familly of Mastiffs, with which any Mastiff Owner can fully identify. Such as this, spurred this reader on to write poetry in Memory of the Mastiff.

I have to say therefore that this book has inspired, informed and educated! Few books in this day and age can qualify for such an accolade.

Dee Dee, this book is a wonderful testament to someone who really knows and loves the mastiff. If you never did another good thing in your life...you would still have done too much!

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Summary: Required reading from many top breeders
Review: We've been researching breeders in the U.S. (California to Massachusetts), Canada and Australia for 2 years.

Let me tell you ... this book is REQUIRED reading for many of the top breeders.

Seemingly basic information such as "what type of food" is short-term information. DeeDee knows that the list of top quality dog foods changes every year. Food choice can also be a pedigree/line decision and is often in a puppy contract. Such basic information should be assessable from your quality breeder.