A look back at one of the greatest Mastiffs of all time.
As the Bard told us, all the world’s a stage. And every once in a great while, a character so outsized and riveting crosses it, leaving the audience in a fit of ovations, cheering and begging for more.
Perhaps more than any other Molosser breed, the Mastiff has had its fair share of leading men. And arguably the best known of all – in modern memory, at least – was the British champion Hollesley Medicine Man.
Internationally regarded Molosser judge Christofer Habig of Germany, who gave Medicine Man his final champion certificate, doesn’t think it is hyberbole to call him one of the greatest Mastiffs of all time.
“Medicine Man was already a celebrity in his lifetime. He was the ‘brand builder’ for the Mastiff breed we were longing for in those years,” Habig says, noting that the dog was nigh unbeatable during his time in the ring in the 1980s – he won the CC at Crufts four consecutive times, breaking a record that had stood for almost a century. “Medicine Man ‘communicated’ personality, presence, strength and stamina like no other Mastiff around the world at that time.” And like any great “brand,” Habig continues, Medicine Man invited all sorts of strong, emotionally laden attributions, “from Celtic to majestic to impetuous.”
