Assyrian Mastiff (original) (raw)

The Assyrian Mastiff, was a landrace in Assyria. This dog was often used as a livestock guardian against predators and they were bred by the Assyrians and Babylonians for lion and wild horse-hunting. The name is most likely derived from the images of this type of dog that appear in Assyrian and other Mesopotamian reliefs dating from the 10th to 6th century BCE Neo-Assyrian Empire.