What has become of the Mastiff? During the past year I have only seen two Mastiffs in my travels, and I have had several letters of inquiry from people wishing to know where they might purchase Mastiffs, puppies or grown stock. Is the Mastiff like the Newfoundland, passe? Some years ago we used to see a great many big dogs advertised — now one rarely sees a Great Dane, a Newfoundland or a Mastiff offered for sale in the dog journals or magazines.

Mr. Rickert goes on to note that "Dogs are like wine, 'they always were and always will be.'" (4)



The idea that the Newfoundland was a vanishing breed was touched on in a surprising number of magazine articles and books in the early years of the 20th Century. For discussion of the idea, see this article here at The Cultured Newf.