I love watching my dogs when we’re outside. They are always on alert, listening to sounds or sniffing scents floating in the air. It makes me think about how far today’s dogs have come from their ancestor, the wolf. Since domesticating dogs centuries ago, we have been selectively breeding for temperament, characteristics, coat, size, and specific jobs. With over 400 recognized breeds around the world, most of our modern dog breeds came into existence over the last 150 years and little is actually known about their origins. There is, however, an ancient group of dog breeds called the Molosser dogs. The Molossus dog is an extinct breed today, but descendants of this ancient group came from the same root stock.
The Molossi people of ancient Greece lived in the northwestern part of the country in an area called, Epirus. Their dogs were called the Molossus dog. These were brave, loyal, and fierce canines used to guard livestock, homes, and as war dogs. No one knows for sure what the Molosser breeds true origin is, but it’s believed these dogs were an earlier mastiff breed and are direct descendants of the Tibetan Mastiff.
The group of dogs is split into three categories and the bully breeds are included in this group. Some of the other breeds are the Great Dane, Shar-Pei, Norwegian Elkhound, Doberman Pinscher, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Komondor, Great Pyrenees, Anatolian Shepherd Dog, Newfoundland, Rottweiler, Saint Bernard, Siberian Husky, Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Entlebucher Mountain Dog, Bernese Mountain Dog, and Golden Retriever. Dogs in the Molosser group are heavy boned with pendant shaped ears, short muzzles and muscular necks. There is disagreement, however, on some of the breeds listed, but it does give you an idea of the variety of dog breeds in this ancient group.
The jobs these dogs were bred to do are as varied as the breeds themselves. Some, like the Saint Bernard and Newfoundland, are used as search and rescue dogs. Others were bred to pull carts or sleds, like the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog or the Siberian Husky. However, most of the breeds were bred to guard livestock, homes, and property. These are dogs with natural guarding instincts and many were at one time used to provide protection from large predators and poachers who tried to steal livestock.
The Sumerians were traders who raised goats, pigs, and sheep. They wanted large, muscular dogs that were loyal, intelligent, brave, and independent. They selectively bred to create black dogs to protect their homes and property because they thought the darker color would intimidate people wanting to rob or harm them. It made it easier for a black dog to disappear into the darkness, which gave him an advantage when attacking a robber or predator. White dogs were used to guard flocks because the lighter color wasn’t intimidating to the animals the dogs guarded and it made it easier for him to blend in with sheep, which gave the canine the advantage of surprise if a thief or predator thought the flock was unguarded. These dogs were a little smaller in build than the ones bred to protect because they chased intruders away rather than standing and fighting.
All of the breeds in the Molosser group have the same basic characteristics bred into them and are hard working dogs with a strong desire to protect home and family. They have the heart of a lion and are quite capable of standing up to wolves, bears, leopards, and other predators. These dogs are strong, independent, smart, well balanced, stable, and extremely loyal to their family.
Some of the canines in this group are also breeds most likely to be on banned dog lists and the target of breed specific legislation. These dogs have been selectively bred to be good family pets. However, misconceptions, misuse of the dogs by irresponsible owners who use them for illegal purposes like dog fighting, lack of proper and positive training that includes being the dog’s leader, and bad owners have given, bully breeds in particular, an unfair and undeserved reputation. Bully breed refers to a breeds’ history and origin and is not a description of their temperament or characteristics. We depend on some of the breeds to save human lives. It’s our responsibility to give dogs the respect they deserve and teach them how we expect them to behave.
According to Greek mythology, the Molosser dogs descended from Laelaps, a dog given as a gift to Europa by the Greek god, Zeus. Europa gave the dog to Kephalos of Athens. Laelaps was predestined to always catch his prey, so Kephalos told the dog to hunt down and catch the Teumessian Fox, a beast that had been running around devastating the countryside. Unfortunately, the fox was predestined to never be caught. Zeus saw the folly in this and turned the dog and fox into stone and placed them in the sky. The Constellations of Canis Major and Minor are said to include Laelaps and the Teumessian Fox. But before Zeus turned the dog into stone, Laelaps sired the ancient group of dog breeds, the Molosser dogs.
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