The favorite Dog of Alexander the Great…
The History of the Neapolitan Mastiff (also called: Mastino Napoletano, Mastino and Italian Mastiff) has a “tail” reaching as far back as 168 BC! It is a wonder, that even after more than 2000 years, the breed has stayed as unusual and special as it is. Originating from a now extinct breed, called the Mollosus, the Neapolitan was used in Ancient Rome to fight in arenas against lions, bears, and gladiators for entertainment. How did they spread through Europe? Well being dogs of war, they followed the Roman Legions, fighting alongside them. It became the favorite breed of Alexander the Great as well. For a long time after that the breed “disappeared” and many branches of the Mastiff developed in Europe. However in the 1940’s, the Neapolitan Mastiff was yet again discovered and sadly it was seen that – as with a lot of breeds – World War II, didn’t help with the perpetuation of the gene-pool of the Neapolitan. It almost became extinct but luckily it made a comeback and only in the 1980’s was it introduced into the USA. With a widespreading history, the Neapolitan Mastiff is cited as one of the most Ancient dog breeds.
