The Dogs of San Francisco

Autumn and I were down in SOMA last weekend for brunch. There we were, walking along minding our own business, when suddenly, across the street, we spied… this guy. And we were immediately forced to postpone our brunch plans, because how often do you get to see a Tibetan mastiff? There weren’t any at Bay to Barkers or any of the other dog fairs, that we saw, nor were there any at the Golden Gate kennel club dog show. I met one once before, but it was a couple years before I started the blog.

Now, I managed to forget to take down any notes, so I’m just going on recollection here. The couple who was walking him got him from a breeder, because they love large breeds but didn’t want to have their souls crushed by a 7-year lifespan. Apparently Tibetan mastiffs average well over 10 years, and some sources have them averaging as long as 12 to 16 years, which is astonishing for a dog of that size. They had heard that the breed isn’t as social and friendly as (say) Berners or St. Bernards, and said, ‘oh, that’ll be no problem, we’ll just socialize him well and…’ They implied that it hadn’t quite gone according to plan. And indeed, he was a perfect gentleman, and let Autumn and me pet him with a sort of grave dignity, but if he actually enjoyed it he wasn’t letting on.

Edit: And Lambeau’s dad just submitted a couple of pictures for my photo contest, which gave me his name. Woohoo! So far there’s one in the city category… I’ll add a link to the other, in the dogs category, if and when it makes the cut for the finals.

The other Tibetan Mastiff Autumn and I have seen was even bigger and much floofier. He had a mane like a Leonberger.

How can you help but fall in love with that face?

Look at the shape of the ‘eyebrows’. Tan points expressed a little differently than I’ve seen them before.

Always with the watchful eye on mom and dad.

If you look at the paws, you can see a dewclaw.

He certainly has the plaintive expression down pat.