Amazonian Mastiff - An invented dog breed

A week or so ago after a long set of shifts from work I spoke to my grandmother about my book. In and out of the sleep that kept nagging at me something stuck out. My grandmother suggested that my main cast have some sort of pet, a dog perhaps. When I thought about it something struck me. Amazons are a warrior people who probably had some sort of breed of dog they would use for herding (they were pastoralists for years) and for fighting. I started researching a bit on dog breeds from Turkey, the Balkans and other areas in Europe.

The breeds that really stuck out to me were ones such as the Akbash, the Anatolian Shepherd, the extinct Alaunt breed and the mountain breeds found in Switzerland and the Balkans.

So what I came up with is under the working name, the Amazonian Mastiff.

History


The Amazonian Mastiff was a breed created from mixing stock from Sauromatian Alaunt breed with the Molossus dogs of the Greece and later the Roman Empire. Other breeds such as the early forms of the Akbash also played a part in the breeds creation. Over time and within the past few centuries the breed was recreated through careful lineage control and mating between specific extant breeds. What exists today is a hardy shepherding dog that can act as a hunting companion and also a guard dog.

Appearance and Temperament


The solid body of the breed is covered in double coated light color fawn fur. The face is marked by a dark brown mask and has a sturdy square muzzle. They eyes are large and good for sighting possible threats to the herds they guard, and their muzzles are built for snapping and tearing intruders to the homes they guard. Their coats become shaggy in the winter and retain a light double coat in summer. With long legs the breed is built to live on the wide steppe that once covered much of northern Thrace and into the reaches of Anatolia.

They have generally floppy square ears that few consider docking to create a sense of alertness for their dogs. The act of docking is considered an useless bit of show in most Amazon circles and the dogs often are treated as fully members of the family including places at the dinner table. This is a reflection of the Amazon tradition of feeding all at the cooking fire dating back to their times as wandering clans on the Eurasian steppe. The tail of the breed tends to be curved and furred in the manner of the Bernese Mountain dog. Their large paws are often used for grabbing and are built for traction allowing them to run at high speeds to keep up with fast traveling Amazon caravans in the past.

Amazonian Mastiffs are from a somewhat quiet aggressive stock. Bred as guard dogs for centuries, they were used historically by Amazonian warriors in front line assault and also in guardian of the warband tents. As a breed if they are socialized properly they will accept most outsiders and will only act a bit boistrous around those they do not know. Males tend to be slightly smaller and sleeker and were often used as sprinting hounds to take down fleeing enemies. Many believe that females were bred for larger size as a means to provide heat for young Amazon children while their mothers were heating the fire at night (note this fact is subject to change).

Availability


As the official dog and symbol of the Amazon Nation along with the Northern Steppe Horse breed (a breed said to be descended from the original horse brought from the Steppe when Amazonia was originally founded) and the Arrow, the Mastiff is rarely sold to outsiders. Carefully monitored kennels and breeders sell to identified Amazon families.

A resurgence in breeding has led to several programs interbreed with Akbash, Kangal and other Anatolian breeds to strengthen the stock as the Amazon people slowly retake their heritage.