Tibet

tibetan drug addiction

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Armed with motion and heat detectors, rescuers continued to search for survivors on Friday, more than 48 hours after an earthquake levelled homes in western China, killing at least 791 people. (April 16)

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The Golden Child will not save you from punishment if you don’t obey God!

Tashi Delek!!!

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Ok, before you call out the RSPCA and so on, let me explain a little.

I’m working in Taiwan, where the average dog is small enough to fit in a ladies handbag, in fact that’s where they mostly live…

My Chinese teacher got talking about dogs and how the Tibetan Mastiff (I think that’s the right translation) is the most powerful and aggressive dog in the world and can even fight tigers and bears. He described how it has the head of a lion and the body of a bear – blah blah blah… I said that I was sure that dogs like Rottweilers (sorry if the spelling is wrong) or Bull dogs or English Mastiffs were more powerful and agressive, otherwise we’d be seeing these Tibetan Mastiffs in movies and being used as military dogs etc… He said that this dog could beat 3 Rottweilers – I’m sure this is an exaggeration – right?

Yes, this is a silly question, no – I don’t want any lectures about cruelty to animals – I don’t agree with fighting animals and I prob couldn’t afford them anyway.
Thanks for the more serious answers… and yes my teacher has been known to exaggerate. Does anyone have any concrete facts as to which dogs are bigger and badder than Tibetan Mastiffs? Pittbulls or other Mastiffs? I guess perhaps because in Taiwan you don’t see any Rottweilers, Pittbulls or other aggressive dogs – so when they see a fairl big dog then it’s wow… a Lions head and Bears body …. Perhaps has anyone any links to something I can show my teacher.

Really appreciate your answers and time on a bit of a daft question.

Well, it IS a bit of an exaggeration on your teacher’s part, but not as much as one originally might think. I will tell you a bit about them, and give you a comparison with an English mastiff, since that is the mastiff breed I am most familiar with.

Almost all mastiff breeds were bred for fighting, and the modern day English Mastiffs were bred for gladiators, to take down boars, bears, lions, etc. Tibetan mastiffs are thought by most historians to be one of the oldest breeds of mastiffs. They are said to have the strongest bite force of any group of breeds. Tibetan Mastiffs are close to the size of English Mastiffs, despite Tibetans being rather fluffier . As for the Mastiff vs. Rottweiler dilemma; I happen to own an English Mastiff. My sister happens to own a Rottweiler.

My mastiff is roughly 10 inches taller, and 120 pounds heavier than my sister’s Rottweiler, despite my dog being a huge goofball and my sister’s dog being the more aggressive of the two. I am not sure if a Tibetan Mastiff could take on three Rottweilers, but if the mastiff was looking for a fight, I wouldn’t be surprised. In fact, I’d place my money on the mastiff. And mastiffs are generally very large. I am five foot nine, and my dog’s back comes up to my waist. Heck, there have been several times where I have been lying across her watching TV, she decided to get up, and suddenly I was riding her across the room :-p

Some mastiffs are definitely smaller then others, in every different one of their breeds. I’ve seen Tibetan mastiffs range from 110-220 pounds, with the biggest on record coming in at 242 pounds. English mastiffs generally range from 130-230 pounds. Tibetans average at around 26-29 inches at the shoulder, with some dogs getting up to 34. There are rumors of dogs of even taller stature, but I am not sure if there is proof of that. English mastiffs are 30-35 inches at the shoulder as a general breed. The current biggest dog in the world is a 282 pound English mastiff.

While a good deal of the Mastiffs still in Tibet actually earn the reputation of extreme aggressiveness and unpredictability, mostly due to selective breeding and training, Tibetan Mastiffs bred in England, America, etc. Are often sweet tempered, loyal companions with a gentle but protective disposition.

It isn’t often that people looking for aggressive dogs import their animals from foreign countries, specifically such rare and expensive dogs, so that is likely why they aren’t seen in movies or as military dogs. In fact, a great deal of people in western society have no idea what a Mastiff is, much less a Tibetan Mastiff.

In conclusion, it is very possible that a Tibetan Mastiff bred specifically for size and aggression COULD be the most powerful or aggressive dog in the world, but in most places, they are simply great big fuzzy members of people’s families.

I hope that helps!