MURTOI'S
	PYRENEAN MASTIFF

WE START SO ........

 

In 1992 we moved to a semidetached house and so we decided to bring home our first dog. The only certain dog is that we wanted to enquire before doing anything, so for a period we bought all the magazines on this subject, and carefully reading the articles, we tried to understand what kind of dog was the one we really desired. It was November when we thought we had found it: an article about the Caucasian Sheepdog struck us in particolar and we decided to go into the subject. It was not easy because at the time there were nor books nor tapes on this breed. We went to visit the few existing breeders, until we met a terribly beautiful dog: DAW DYVOCKYTC STEPI, five years old, Italian champion. His owner had a four-month-old litter, and a male was still available: Andrew Il Ciclone (the Hurricane) was the biggest and with a drawings on his legs as if he was wearing white stockings. We brought him home, after discussing with his breeder, because at the time we weren't absolutely interested in shows, while, according to her the dog had all the qualities to win. While Andrew was growing up, we started being interested in dog shows, and after some contest, we decided to go on. Our satisfaction was such we decided to find a frind for Andrew, and of course we turned to the lady who had "initiated" us. So Caren arrived, and, unlike Andrew who was very dark, she was white with grey spots, and once again she was a very good choice. But now, our house with it's small garden, seemed to be very narrow, and so we decided to move to let our dogs live in wider spaces, more suitable to their size. We arrived in Lerma simply by chance and it was a love at first sight, not because of what there was when we got there, 20.000 square metres full of weeds and a small house, but because of what my husband and I managed to see, what it could become. The next year we moved there and I made up my mind: I left my job and started a new activity: I became a breeder. I had no delusions, I had understood the job that was expecting me was completely different from the one I had studied for, but I yelded the temptation to throw myself in this adventure, where what matters are above all my choices. I have never thought I could earn piles of money, but living in close contact with dogs has always seemed to me the most natural thing, as if it were a primitive instinct. That same year I saw a photo of an imposing dog: he was hugging a lady but he was much taller than her. It was a Pyrenean Mastiff. I was really struck and I soon started my researches, you didn't meet those wonderful dogs at shows, but in Milan one had been presented: BARRANCO DE LA TAJADERA DEL TIO ROY. We found the name of its owner through the catalogue and we contacted him by phone, just to find out that he was waiting his female toh ave puppies. In September 4 nice males were born: we chose one who had a completely dak masque. After two months we brought him home to introduce him to our family, the meeting was not a problem end in a few days he got used to the place. We spent very wonderful months, but unfortunately he died. So we lost our wonderful Darko, but by now we had been marked and we weren't able to renounce this great breed, so sweet and gentle in spite of its heavy size. We contacted Mr. RAFAEL MALO ALCRUDO, a very famous Spanish breeder of this breed, and also President of the Spanish Club of Pyrenean Mastiff, and after a short time we met him in his kennel in Zaragoza, in Spain, to bring home with us Quinta and Melissa. After them other dogs have come and they live with us now, the rest is daily life made up of love, mutual trust and complete lack of regrets.

MILENA MURA