Show mastiff Is considered british isles oldest there may be older breed of dog dogs s than the mastiff but not so in the british isles for here this dog la Is con the oldest of them all its or orl I 1 gin dating back to the sixth century B C at that time writes albert stoll jr in the detroit news it was brought into britain by the ad ventur ous I 1 hoenl hoen clan traders an I 1 was adopt ed by the britons for hunting and in warfare for years the breed was used to hunt the larger wild animals and in bear baiting but as the centuries passed it was adopted as a guard an for property and as a canine corn com panton for those who fancied the larger breed of dogs Ala mastiffs stiffs may be either fawn with a dark face or brindle they weigh from to pounds and stand about 28 inches high at the shoulders accord ng to the american standard of 0 perfection they should be large mas sive and powerful with a well knit frame the legs should be wide apart and squarely set tie tl e coat Is short and close lying but not too fine over the shoulders neck and back |