Owning a Bull Mastiff is a blessing and a bit of a curse. Mastiff’s are known as the “Gentle Giant.” They are wonderful dogs who are loyal and protective of those they love. They crave human attention. They are known to drool and snore. They are often viewed as being intimidating or scary because of their size. They must be trained at an early age.

I have a 2 year old Bull Mastiff , whose name is Tonka. What else do you name a female Mastiff. She does have many names that she goes by, Mama, Big Mamas, or I-lean. She is currently weighing in at a 137lbs. It is almost exactly 2 years ago that I brought her home from the breeder. She weighed 12lbs at 7 weeks. She has become such a integral part of our family. She is fantastic around my boys, very gentle. She does not know her size tough. She thinks she is a lap dog at times. That can be very interesting. She holds true to most of the behavior that Mastiffs are known for. She loves her people. She can be protective. She seems to not like men with sunglasses and hats on. She definitely craves human attention. She is never very far from one of us. She even lays at my feet under my desk. She is always looking for an invitation to join me on my bed. She takes up most of it when I let her. She snores when she sleeps and drools when she eats. I was lucky enough to have a good trainer for her when she was a puppy. He set her on the path to be such a good and well behaved dog. Thanks B!

She does get a bad rap at times because of her size. When I walk her people either move out of our way

Tonka & boys

because of her size or they are comment on her size. She has been called a horse, a tiger, a pony, and a lion to name a few of the comments that I hear. Her bark is loud and deep when she hears things that she is unsure about.

She has been so much fun these past 2 years. She is funny and smart. She is crazy at times. She loves water, whether it is the hose, sprinklers or jumping off our dock at the river. She is always there for a hug or a paw or a huge lick. I would not trade any of the time with her for any other dog. She is definitley a blessing in my families life. Our life is that much fuller because she is a part of it.

He begged me to sign him up this year.  His dad and I were hesitant because we knew it would take up a lot of his time.  We felt that he really needed to focus on school, because it is difficult for him.   We had many long discussions on what are expectations were of him and his school work.  School work must always come first.  If home work is not done, then there is no football.  Also if grades start to slip, then no football.  Who knew this was the motivation he needed.

Now that the season is almost to an end, I will give a little recap of his school year so far.  He is keeping up with his school work and is able to get all of his homework done before practice.  There is no arguements from him.  He is happy to do it.  He wanted to join Student Council.  He wrote and gave a speech in class, which is not easy for him and won.

As for his preformance in football….he is really amazing to watch.  He has found his “thing”.  He has developed leadership.  We always talk about pumping up your team, when they are doing good and especially when they are not doing good.  We talk about being gracious in winning and in defeat.  We especially talk about having fun.  He has had such an amazing season so far, many wins, many touchdowns, and his close favorite, many tackles.

Find your childs “thing” and support them.  It is so worth the sacrifices we as parents have to make.