Saturday was a beautiful day here in Cincinnati! The fall crisp air seems so much cleaner than the sticky summer air we endured. So with Emery, Darla, Rick and I, it was a great day to head to our local park for a walk. Darla hasn’t been much on leash walking, but has gotten consistently better. Her biggest problem is that she wants to sniff everything! When a 145-pound dog wants to sniff and you are on the other end of the leash, generally she gets to sniff!
There were kids in abundance and we got plenty of staring eyes and “Oh what a big dog!” comments. But several people came over and talked to us about their mastiffs and the breed, color and size. Everyone we talked to loves the breed and spoke about their gentle spirits. Our Old English Mastiff comes from a long line of gentle dogs, with the exclusion of her uncle Piper who is known as the “Special Needs” child on Sabbath Song Farm. He bounces around like he is on speed. But the others are more of Darla’s temperament: Cool, calm and lazy.
Emery and Darla are about the same size now and Emery is as protective of Darla as Darla is of Emery. Both rush to the other if someone comes too close or something seems out of place. Emery is ready to let everyone know that Darla is an “Old English Mastiff–and a girl dog.” She then goes on to tell about HER dog, Lucy, a golden retriever.
None of the farm animals made Darla even bark. She sniffed and looked in their direction, but kept walking along at her pace. I love this dog! This is how I imagined her when we took the plunge and got a dog after many years of not having one. I wanted a dog I could take everywhere with me and that would love to be around people. She is that perfect dog! If I could put all the characteristics of a pet rolled into one creature, it would equal our wonderful Darla!
Pat's Wit and Wisdom 