Mary Allen
The Bullmastiff is a very strong, massive dog and was first used as a protection dog for game wardens.
FCI Group 2: Pinschers and Schnauzers – Molossoids – Swiss Mountain Dogs, Section 2: Molossoids, 2.1 Mastiff-type dogs, without working trial
Country of origin: Great Britain
FCI standard number: 121
Height at the withers: males: 64-69 cm, females: 61-66 cm
Weight: Males: 50-59 kg, females: 41-50 kg
Use: guard dog, protection dog, service dog (e.g. police), the family dog.
#1 The Bullmastiff has been widespread in England since the 19th century and is therefore a relatively young dog breed.
#2 The idea was to create a protection dog for game wardens: due to the relatively poor social conditions, poaching was very common.
However, this drastically reduced the number of game animals on the estates of landlords. To this end, game wardens were deployed to guard and protect these properties. This job was relatively dangerous, however, as poachers who were caught often killed the rangers to avoid the death penalty. For this reason, dogs were needed that were characterized by size and strength, but at the same time operating in a controlled manner that left the poachers unharmed. They were supposed to be hanged in public as a deterrent.
