If you give a family a mastiff, they'll probably question their ability to care for, train, and love such a massive pet. And that is exactly the case for my family. When we adventured to NY to choose our first family dog, 7-year-old me couldn't help but shy away from the 250-pound beast that birthed the stuffed-animal like a puppy I could fit in my arms. Was our puppy going to get THAT big? Was our home going to turn into a scene from "The Sandlot"?

If you give a family a mastiff, they'll probably learn to keep all food, and actually all edible objects (and mind you that in the mind of a mastiff, everything is considered edible), as high from the ground as possible. We learned this the hard way, after coming home from the grocery store and wondering where the loaf of bread, desperately needed for school lunches, had disappeared to; until an hour later when we found it ... in a pile of unmentionables in the yard. And it didn't stop at bread. Halloween had arrived, and after learning our lesson, the candy was immediately tucked securely away in a kitchen cabinet ... or so we thought. Our sly little, well, actually not-so-little, the pup had jumped onto the counter, popped open the cabinet, eaten every piece of candy (wrapper and all), and left little tinfoil surprises throughout the yard to let us know just how smart he is.

If you give a family a mastiff, they'll probably feel well-protected, despite their knowledge of how big of a baby a mastiff truly is. Anyone new to mastiff territory usually fears their size, their bark, and even their drool! And yet, we know that all a mastiff really wants is to feel included, whether that be squeezing on the couch while we watch a movie or making sure he's right in the middle of the bed while we sleep.

If you give a family a mastiff, they'll probably receive endless jaw-dropping stares and wide-eyed looks whenever they venture into public with their pet. Everyone wants to take a picture of our dog when we bring him to social events as if he's on display in a museum.

If you give a family a mastiff, they'll probably use the term 'gentle-giant' whenever describing their beast of a pet. Our mastiff mopes all day, only ever getting the slightest bit of energy when he waits patiently by the dinner table, ready to pounce on any crumb or scrap of fallen food. He enjoys belly rubs, long walks, and romantic dates with leftovers. He may be really big, but that just means he has a really big heart.

If you give a family a mastiff, they'll probably thank you endlessly. Our family wouldn't be the same without our slobbery, shedding, overly-sensitive giant who protects us, loves us, and eats all of our food. Dogs are truly man's best friends, but our mastiff is more than just a friend, he's a family member.