Tiny relaxing after a long day's nap
Obi-Wan Tiny
TINY
For Tiny's final story, please visit this page
Tiny relaxing after a long day's nap |
Obi-Wan Tiny |
One day in late August (2004), we got a call from our friend from the Friends of Rescued Mastiffs (FORM), asking us to check out a report of a Mastiff in the ASPCA shelter in San Antonio. That Saturday we went to do an evaluation on him for the Rescue folks - all we knew was that his name was "Tiny," given in ironic salute to his size by the shelter staff. We saw from his picture that he was underweight, and his head looked well-proportioned, but there wasn't anything to give us perspective on his real size...
Tiny at the shelter - skinny, but obviously a Mastiff
When we arrived at the shelter and asked to see Tiny (Tina had called ahead and spoken with the shelter staff, explaining what we were going to do - they were very supportive of our visit), we found out that he had just been adopted out to a family within the hour of our arrival. So much for evaluations...
The Monday following, Tina was driving across the northwest side of San Antonio, right past the shelter, when she got one of those feelings she has from time to time, so she went ahead and took the exit (which otherwise she would have avoided like the plague - it's a nasty intersection). She went in and said hello to the people behind the counter, then asked if they had heard anything from Tiny's new family. Well, to make a long story short, the adoption had not worked out with that family, and they had returned him that very morning... (Free advice: Never try to sneak anything by on Tina - she sees all, knows all, and gets these feelings from time to time)
After a quick phone call to me, she bailed him out and brought him home. She also found out that he had been picked up by Animal Control in San Antonio as a stray. I had never even heard of a purebred Mastiff being a stray before, but there he was... He was very underweight, but a big dog anyway - 32 inches at the shoulder, with a beautiful head and a very gentle disposition. After checking him out at the vet's office, he came home to stay with us until the Rescue folks could find him a proper foster home...
Well, it's about four months later now, and Tiny is with us for the duration. He is a special needs Mastiff, with severe elbow problems (the joints are fusing, even though he is a young dog, about 4-5 years old) and dry eyes, which make placement in an adoptive home virtually impossible. He is a very good-natured dog, but I could see why he scared the people who adopted him without knowing about Mastiffs. Once he began to relax around the house and the other inhabitants, we got to see his playful side... To say that he plays rough is an understatement. He wants to rear up on people, and he mouths hands, arms, whatever he can get his jaws around... If you didn't understand Mastiffs, this could appear to be an attack, and would be very frightening. He only needs one correction, though, and he will cease and desist from further rough play. He has never offered either of the children any harm, either.
 Tiny at play - he's a big lad... |
 Giving me a good contest |
Tiny can't show in Conformation, since he is neutered and his gait is seriously affected by his elbow problems, but if he had been shown before he was neutered (and before he began to limp on his front legs), I'm sure he would have finished his Championship quickly. We don't have time to train him in Obedience, so he is pretty much committed to a life as a house dog. He seems to be thrilled to be with a family where he is loved, well-fed, and appreciated. We don't know how long he will be able to get around with those elbows, but he will be with us for the duration.
Update: It's a year and a half since Tiny came to join us, and it has been an adventure... All three of our "second generation" Mastiffs are doing quite well, although each has his own set of medical challenges: Junior is getting older, having turned nine last month, and Clayton and Tiny have their issues, too - enough to keep us on a first name basis with our vet... However, the rewards outweigh the costs, and we wouldn't have it any other way.
Another update, 27 March 2007: Tiny has now taken on another role: He is "Uncle Tiny" to a six-month-old Mastiff pup named Lori Bay, whose page has yet to be written. He is wonderful with her - very gentle, but he corrects her when she gets carried away. It takes a LOT of patience to put up with a rambunctious puppy... He is doing a great job, though. Note the look of long suffering on his face in the pictures below:
 Lori Bay and Tiny - she can be so sweet... |
 But she is a girl dog, after all! |
We have discovered another thing that makes Tiny a special needs Mastiff: He seems to be nearly deaf. One must be careful when approaching him from behind; there is no danger, but he jumps rather spectacularly when startled...
29 November 2008: Tiny went on to the Rainbow Bridge this past Monday, after his third episode of bloating. His memorial page is here.