Big bulldog and mastiff breeds are normally gentle giants – we occasionally have them come in and if they do would choose a home for them with the utmost care. They need lots of space, exercise and freedom to spread out. They eat a lot of food – a hungry French Mastiff would be an unhappy dog. In their country of origin they are used for guarding. We would never place one of these dogs anywhere with young children. Their size alone would be against this, they are powerful dogs.
What has happened to this poor little girl and her family is a terrible tragedy. Our deepest condolences goes out to them.
It should always be remembered that dogs are hunters, predators and have natural instincts for survival. Stray dogs often have a history of abuse and neglect. We do not take in stray dogs. We have the history of all dogs who come in to us, we have many years experience and carefully match them to their new prospective adopters. All dogs offered for adoption have had a personality assessment and careful checks on their behaviour and characteristics.
Even so dogs are individual and can be unpredictable. We give advice and back up if things don’t work out. There is a lack of knowledge about dog behaviour and you can bet that the young woman coming up the drive with two little children (and often another on the way) will want to adopt a Rottweiler or a Staffi or an Alsatian or an Akita. No way! Dogs need lots of exercise and attention. Mums are busy and children are a full time job. In our view, young children and dogs, unless it’s a very experienced home with plenty of room and other adults to give back up, do not mix.