Hank

Hank an 18 month old Mastin arrived at Adana in January 2024. One of our volunteers who regularly walks Hank wrote this about him:-

When one hears the word 'Mastiff', it is easy to conjure an image of a large, scary dog. However, this would be quite wrong for the Spanish Mastiff, or 'Mastin', which are usually calm, gentle dogs; sometimes even rather timid, if they've had little interaction with people. Occasionally, though, there is a Hank.

Hank is a lump of boisterous, playful energy, big enough and strong enough to make the world his plaything, and that is precisely what he does. If he sees an eagle, he wants to chase it, if he sees a horse, he wants to play with it and, if a volunteer visits his pen, he wants to rugby tackle it and jump on it. It is not that he is aggressive; just boisterous, playful, and unencumbered by any manners, to temper his enthusiasm.

In fact, he can be very affectionate, corkscrewing around on your lap as he attempts to position himself for the optimum cuddle. Equally, he is not typically aggressive towards other dogs, but his ill-mannered attempts at engagement will often intimidate another dog, leaving him frustrated and difficult to manage. His lead-manners are little better, and he sees the lead only as a useful device for keeping his person with him, while he does whatever he chooses.

Fortunately for Hank, he has time to learn, as he is little more than a huge puppy - maybe 18 months old, at the time of writing. He would require an experienced strong owner , the patience of yeti-hunters and the vigilance of Odin himself, but Hank is a really nice guy; just one that has so far learned less about decorum and politeness than he apparently has about rugby.