Georgia Of The Sandhills

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Meet Georgia of the Sandhills, our Brazilian-English Mastiff. She has brought so much joy and humor to our lives. Not the typical ranch dog for sure, but what she lacks in cow sense she makes up for in character.

In my life, I have only ever lived less than two years without a dog. My parents bought two pups when I was an infant and ever since then we always had at least one dog. Most of them living till they were 15-16. It was very different not having one around, for sure!

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Lil’ Anne

The two years after my husband and I got married, we were dogless. I hadn’t planned for it to be that way. Before Devyn and I met, I had found a sweet dog at a rescue. She was a mutt, rottweiler cross of some sort. She was my devoted companion. We did everything together, and even though I had adopted “Anne” as an adult dog, we soon became inseparable.

The year after Devyn and I met, Annie began to not eat her food, which was very strange for her. I took her to the vet to find that she had liver cancer. I was devastated. She passed away two weeks later. I was so attached to little Annie that it took me a couple years to start the search for a new pup. While I waited till the time was right to get a puppy, I would occasionally “borrow” one of my mother-in-law’s dogs to keep me company. Rent-a-doggie!

Check out my free printable first-aid checklist for livestock (and pets!)

Finding The Right Breed

Big dogs have always had my heart. I had a Swiss Mountain Dog cross at one point and loved him dearly. I love that breed, but they come with a hefty price tag that I just couldn’t justify for a ranch dog. My neighbor has bull mastiffs, and I love their personalities, but I wanted more of the “longer-nosed” look. And so I dove into the world of online research about mastiffs.

One particular Mastiff cross piqued my interest. A Brazilian/English cross. Brazilian (or Fila Brasileiro) Mastiffs are outlawed in some countries because of their instinctual nature to protect. They can be very aggressive, but are loyal to their owners. One of their qualities is that they have a very smooth coat and don’t shed very much, and the cross doesn’t drool!

The English Mastiffs are a little more laid back and are HUGE. I didn’t need a gigantic dog, so the Brazilian side brings the size down a little bit.

Where Oh Where Could My Little Dog Be?

There were only two breeders I found in the country that specialized in this cross. One just happened to be two hours north of my parents’ in Washington. It was just perfect. The only question was, how was I going to get her to Nebraska?

I was five months pregnant with my daughter when Georgia was ready to come home. The trip took 3 days, and my Mom ended up flying into Billings to drive the rest of the way with me.

Georgia Of The Sandhills

Georgia was the CUTEST puppy. So many wrinkles!!

She was a very easy dog to potty train, didn’t chew much, and is very obedient although she sometimes does it on her own sweet time, eventually she’ll get there.

Her love for our cat Lavender began right away, and they are still best buddies. Although poor Lavender occasionally is used as a chew toy, she somehow survives and is just a slobbery mess.

Georgia has treated us with many fun (and some not-quite-so-fun-in-the-moment) stories that I will share with you. Keep up with Georgia of the Sandhills and her adventures!

Happy Trails!

Tiffany