If you have Animal Planet...

[Guest Mutts4Me]

Could you tune into Animal Precinct tonight at 10, provided that show doesn't upset you too much? (there are happy endings on this episode!)

I think, from the quick glimpse I just got of the commercial, that this is the episode with Cain. Cain is described as a "large mastiff" several times during the show. And while the dog is not small, he is by no means large, and definitely not large by mastiff standards. Actually, I don't think he's a mastiff at all.

I think Cain's a presa, but I'm not sure. If others could watch this episode and give me their ideas on the matter, I'd very, very much appreciate it. Just because I saw this months ago and it's been bothering me ever since :)

The guy who adopts him has a mastiff, and when the two dogs meet, the difference is very obvious, and even he says "Now, there's a Mastiff" in reference to his dog. But they continue to refer to Cain as a mastiff (and a large one at that). I realize that presas, pit bulls, and bulldogs are descended in various degrees from mastiffs, but they aren't mastiffs now, right?

So I'd assume that the ASPCA officers and the producers of the show would be aware of the fact that Cain was not a mastiff, so the question is, whatever Cain was (pit bull mix, presa, or otherwise) why did they continue to call him a mastiff? If I'm right about him maybe being a presa, were they aware of it, and just afraid to say the breed name?

ANYWAY, lol, I would appreciate any comments on the matter.

For those who don't get Animal Planet, this is the best I can offer:

http://animal.discovery.com/fansites/animalprecinct/updates/cain.html

Thank you

[Sanvean]

I remember Cain! He had cherry eye when they found him, right? I remember him being adopted by one of the investigators.

I don't know a lot about mastiffs, so I couldn't say if he's one or not. But they probably just figured he was part mastiff and referred to him that way...that's what we do in my rescue group. A dog may be a chihuahua mix, and his information might say he's a chihuahua mix, but we might refer to him (among ourselves) as "Oh, he's the fawn-colored chihuahua."

[Guest Mutts4Me]

Yeah, he's the cherry eye dog!

I considered that they might think that he was a mastiff cross, but it's just that Cain looks almost exactly like the dog here:

http://www.chez.com/presacanario/

and nothing like any Mastiff I've seen... Also doesn't explain why he's called a "large mastiff" when he's 1/3-1/2 the size of an English Mastiff, a large mastiff.

I don't know. I just lean toward's K's suggestion. And it's been bothering me for months, so I'm just hoping to get some idead from people who are more knowledgable about dog breeds than myself.

[Guest Anonymous]

Just watched it and i do believe that cain is a Cane Corso.
yup he is the cherry eyed dog.
:black:

[Peng1zrule]

I think presas are mastiffs...could be wrong, but I had always thought they were shown in the mastiff class in other countries (like the UK)

[Guest Mutts4Me]

Peng1zrule napisał(a):

I think presas are mastiffs...could be wrong, but I had always thought they were shown in the mastiff class in other countries (like the UK)

They are in the mastiff family, but they do have their own breed. So normally, when a supposed animal expert network says that a dog is a "mastiff," I would expect to see a Mastiff, or even a BullMastiff, but not a Presa Canario or a Cane Corso.

RnP, thanks for your response. Why do you think he's a Cane Corso? I looked up both dogs, and I found this website, where they breed both types:

http://www.canecorsoitaliano.be/

I can't see much physical difference :oops:

[courtnek]

Presa's are in the mastiff family, so to speak, but are not exactly "mastiff's" they have their own breed classification.

However, if you said Presa to most people they would have no clue what you're talking about...everyone I tell I have a foxhound says "What's that? Is it like a bloodhound?" (yea, 80-100 lbs smaller - and a sight hound, not a scent hound - lol)

So maybe they just used mastiff as a term that the un-dog-knowing would understand....

[Guest Anonymous]

i had a bit of a corso thing for a while and was pretty head strong on getting one. so i am pretty sure that he is a Cane Corso. also his tail is docked and Corsos have a docked tail by the standard. heve the muscular large body and the wrinkly droopy face, much like Kain. I guess when i look at him i just see Corso.

[Guest Anonymous]

pit bulls are part of the terrier family. presa canarios are part of the mastiff family. mastiffs and terriers are so very different in so many respects that they shouldn't be "lumped" together into the same catagory. it's like saying a shetland pony is just like a clydesdale in character. presas are a"small" mastiff, just like rotties, dogue de bordeux, neopolitans, and cane corsos are all mastiffs. they're all molosser breeds. i've had 3 presa grace my life through the years and cain looked very much like a presa to me.

[gooeydog]

What I found a bit disturbing about that show was when the new owner (I think it was one of the ACOs that adopted him, right?) came out of the house with his and the two other dogs' food and plunked it all down within feet of each other only a few days after they'd gotten him :o I don't care how much work you put in, you can't have a dog pegged like that in 3 days to trust him when he had such issues before, and I sure wouldn't want to break up a fight between two mastiffs and another pretty good size dog :-?

[imported_Debbie]

I too saw that show a while back and I thought it was a Cane Corso.
I agree with Courtnek, they probably just said Mastiff, for people watching that didn't have much "Dog" knowledge. :wink: