Mastador

 The Mastador is a hybrid animal, a cross between the Labrador Retriever, a gun dog that specializes in retrieving waterfowl, and the English Mastiff, an daunting giant of a canine who is surprisingly good-natured. Mastiff-type dogs were even recorded as marching alongside the armies of Hannibal when they crossed the Alps and have been depicted in ancient stone and artwork thousands of years old in Mesopotamia and in Asia. As consummate guard dogs and excellent hunting companions, they quickly became valued for their steadfast natures as well as their easy-going temperament by both the peasants and the wealthier landholders throughout England. World Wars I and II had a catastrophic impact on Europe’s canine population, and the largest dogs such as the English Mastiff were the hardest hit. Their size put them in double jeopardy, making them both difficult to feed during times of rationing, and attractive as military dogs, employed to pull munitions carts out to the front lines, a dangerous and sometimes deadly job. Once both of the wars had finally ended the English Mastiff breed had become nearly extinct, at one point reduced to just fifteen dogs known worldwide that were suitable for  contribution to the gene pool. Mastiff puppies were imported to England from both the United States and Canada to help revive the breed, and they resurged in popularity, capturing the spot of the 28th most popular breed according to the AKC. The Labrador Retriever also has a long and somewhat uncertain history, portions of which we can only guess at. Experts are generally in agreement that the St. John’s dog, a water dog that became extinct as recently as the 1980’s, was the foundation breed that was used for the Labrador Retriever breed, but not much is known about how the St. John’s dog came to be. The St. John’s dog worked alongside fishermen that worked the coasts of Newfoundland and with its short, oily coat was as at home swimming in the water as it was running on land. The St. John’s dogs, like the Labradors, were retrieving dogs, although they specialized in retrieving fish, nets, and ropes from the water, rather than collecting the waterfowl that the Labrador was bred for. In the 1800’s James Harris and Walter Scott were fortunate enough to meet while out shooting.  Both men had been breeding specific St. Johns dogs for their suitability as gun dogs and when Mr. Harris gifted of two of his male retrievers to Mr. Scott, Mr. Scott bred them to his own dogs, giving rise to today’s modern Labradors.