A few Mastiff Must Haves

In the past twenty four months I have had two kids. When you are expecting a baby, everyone throws you a shower and dispenses endless advice about what you actually need v. what you might want, etc. Now that my friends are having new babies I find that I am always making a must have list for them, based on my own experiences...don't worry I am not going to start advocating New Puppy Showers but I do have some thoughts on what to do, buy and expect if you are bringing a baby Mastiff into your home.

Expect drool - not so much when they are puppies, but around seven months the faucet comes on. I invested in stacks of white wash cloths in bulk from Costco. She is used to getting her mouth wiped - a lot.

Expect chewing, but not like a Labrador. I have tried many toys and found the two most successful ones are Hard Core Firehose Toys and the Nylabone Galileo Chew Bone.

Life with a very large dog!

Five years ago this week I got a phone call that changed my life.

"Were you serious about wanting a dog? A friend's family got a puppy that is just too much for them..."

Three weeks later I was at the Las Vegas Airport waiting for the big garage door to roll up at the oversized baggage claim. There she was, my four month old English Mastiff. I fell in love immediately.

Salome was game as I loaded her in the truck I had driven from LA and off we went to spend a winter in Steamboat Springs, CO.

Since that fateful day she and I have had quite a set of adventures - from a solitary winter locked away at a friend's ski lodge to the life we lead now - sharing the house with a husband, two tiny people and another dog.

Life is never dull and she takes her role in our household very seriously as you will see.