Of course! Dogs can be freighted anywhere in Australia or overseas. For overseas people our quarantine standards are one of the highest in the world so the dogs will spend less time in quarantine in your country than if I were to get a dog overseas shipped here.
There are many companies that perform this service - I have regularly used DogTainers - but there are others. For interstate or international buyers the usual procedure is I drop the pup off near Avalon airport and the dog is transported into the airport by DogTainers as this reduces the cost to you. They will also deliver anywhere locally (within Victoria).
The benefit of using companies like these is they take care of everything - crate, booking, loading and unloading. Prices depend on the level of service you require. Door-to-door is more expensive (pick up from my house and taken directly to yours). Airport-to-airport is cheaper or a combination of these can be arranged. Local delivery can only be door-to-door.
The following is a list of companies who transport dogs - most have an online quote system:
1. DogTainers (domestic and international service):
http://www.dogtainers.com.au/
2. Pet Carriers International (domestic and international service):
http://www.petcarriers.com.au/
3. OZPet Transport (domestic and international service):
http://www.ozpet-pettransport.com.au/
4. Jet Pets Animal Transport (domestic and international):
http://www.jetpets.com.au/
5. Pets Transport (domestic service only)
http://www.petstransport.com.au/
I have no affiliation with nor get any financial or other benefits from any of these companies. I have only used DogTainers so cannot guarantee the level of service from any of the other carriers - links are provided for your information only.
A Brief History:
Mastiff dogs are one of the oldest recognised breeds in the world and have been depicted on rock carvings, statues and artwork throughout history as far back as 2,000 years before Christ. The modern breed was developed in England in the early 20th Century before almost dying out in the 2nd World War. A joint effort between England and USA successfully restored the numbers and now although not a common breed, the are no longer rare. There are also Tibetan, Neapolitan, French and Argentinean Mastiffs although these are all different from the English.
Physical Characteristics:
English Mastiffs are large, heavy, muscular dogs and are in the ‘giant’ breed category. The largest dog in the Guinness Book of Records is an English Mastiff who tops the scales at 155 kilograms!
Height to shoulder is approximately 70-76 cms (20.5-30 inches)
Weight is 79-86 kilograms.
Coat colours – most common colour is fawn with a black mask (see pictures). There are other variations like silver-fawn, apricot-fawn and brindle (brindle and its variations are uncommon and hard to find).
Pros & Cons of owning a Mastiff:
Pros:
Easy coat care, highly intelligent, excellent guardian, gentle, rarely bark, affectionate and loyal.
Cons:
Can be stubborn, aren’t often willing to perform ‘menial’ tasks/tricks, drooling and slobbering at mealtimes or after drinking, tail is like a whip so you can’t have ornaments. You need a vehicle that can transport them (or a trailer) – they don’t fit in your average family sedan. Some of the more heavily wrinkled adults have furrows that need to be cleaned on a regular basis. It is also wise to have air-conditioning in your house and car as they don't tolerate the heat.
The following can be pros or cons, depending on your viewpoint:
Often described by owners as “annoyingly affectionate” – they love to follow their owner everywhere and if they could they would get into your lap for a cuddle! Have a habit of leaning against you and lying with their head on your feet (remember what they weigh!).
If going out in public with your Mastiff be prepared to be stared at and questioned incessantly - people are fascinated as they are rarely seen.
What to look for:
Look at as many dogs (pictures or real) as you can so you are familiar with the breed and decide how you would like your dog to look. There are heavily wrinkled Mastiffs and ones who are tighter skinned. Bone lazy ones and those who are more active. Taller thinner ones, or shorter stockier ones. Then put most of your time into inspecting the parents as they are the best indicator of what your puppy will be like.
Please don't judge the female too harshly if you are seeing her for the first time with her puppies - pregnancy and lactation take their toll on a bitch's physical appearance so rely on photos of her prior to giving birth!
If you want a working Mastiff – one who does the job of guarding and isn’t just a wrinkly face! – then make sure the parents show signs of this when you visit. Parents who bound up to you and lick you to death will have puppies who are similarly jolly. Ideally the Mastiff will watch you intently on arrival and bark – then when told by the owner it is ok they should settle down and even allow you to pat them. They will always watch you intently though.
Availability:
English Mastiffs are an uncommon breed so are not readily available. Most breeders have at least a 6 month waiting list. This will give you plenty of time to stockpile newspapers (invaluable item when toilet training puppies!) and make the necessary sundry purchases (dog crates/cages for travelling, bedding, worming treatments etc).
Cost:
Most puppies cost a minimum of $800 and can fetch up to $1500 or more. English Mastiff puppies are expensive in comparison to other breeds because it is expensive to breed a female (who will often eat up to 3 times her normal food intake while pregnant and lactating) and to raise the puppies (food, worming treatments, vet checks etc).
Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can get your money back by breeding from your male/female – giant breed dogs are notoriously difficult to breed and often have trouble during the whelping process (birthing of puppies) – Caesarian births are not unknown.
If you factor in the food and veterinary care for your breeding adults and weigh this up against the fact that most giant breeds can only safely have around 3-4 litters before they are too old, then you will quickly realise that many breeders are running at a loss, most breed for love and not profit.
Purebreed? Pedigree? Registered? Papers? Guarantee?
Most people are confused by these terms and what they mean to you as a buyer. Simply put a purebreed dog is one who meets the criteria set by the various Kennel Clubs/Canine Associations. This means the puppy/adult must have proven ancestry for a certain number of generations (usually 3) - this is their 'pedigree'. In order for an animal to be shown it must be registered with the Kennel Club and have papers that detail the puppy’s ancestry.
BUT at times these pieces of paper are just that, worthless pieces of paper. They are bought as blanks and the owner fills them in. An unscrupulous owner can put whatever they like. There is no way of guaranteeing what they are filling in is the truth. If you don’t want a dog for showing, papers are not necessary.
Guarantees - a little advice that I have learned the hard way. Just because a puppy has papers in no way guarantees you a healthy animal. Being registered and/or a Champion dog (have a prefix of Ch before their name) in no way means a healthy animal. There are many stories of buyers having puppies with major health problems even though they had a "guarantee". This is one of the many stories about such a dog - a champion registered papered animal who only lived a short life:
http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/mastiff/ABOUTUS.HTM
Read also my post further down on Hip/Joint problems for the reasons why these "health guarantees" are useless. No-one can guarantee the health of your puppy - but you can help prevent potential problems with a little knowledge.
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