Monthly Archives: May 2012

My brother sent me a text message recently asking if I had heard or seen a “Dogo Argentino for sale,” since I had recently begun working in a veterinary office. After my initial confusion, thinking that the auto correct had given him a few creative changes, I replied asking him exactly what “Dogo Argentino for sale,” was supposed to mean.

In the meantime, I ran a quick Google search and learned quite a bit about the Dogo Argentino, a fairly rare breed of dog, sometimes called the Argentinean Mastiff. Dogo Argentinos have an appearance which resembles an American Pit Bull, and recently have been in the public eye due to a story originating out of Colorado which received national attention. An Argentinean Mastiff fell into an icy pond and was rescued by fire fighters. This dog and his owner were then invited to be on a local morning news show, during which the dog bit the anchor on the face, on air and required her to be hospitalized.

When I read this, I called my brother to ask why he was looking at such a savage dog as a pet. He challenged me to do a bit more digging about the breed and to ask around my network to see if I found one for him to purchase. I did so, and learned that the Argentinean Mastiff was breed as a hunting dog originally, and is a very intelligent animal. They must be trained and handled with a firm, but not harsh hand and need to have their place in the pack firmly determined, so that they know that all the humans in the family outrank their position.

The breed has received some bad press of late, but otherwise with the proper owner and training can be a loyal and beloved member of the family.