MaryTS's Profile

Hi there! We have not one but two English mastiffs -- and they're both long-haired! (I'm one of the Shelterrific.com editors and I've written about them before; they're known as "fluffy mastiffs" and were both rescues.) We don't have a huge home because we moved to Seattle three years ago, where houses are expensive! Luckily, we have a decent sized yard and big dogs (our boy is 185 and our girl is 125) do a lot of sleeping! They do love to be in the kitchen when we're cooking though, go figure. Mastiffs are sweetest!! Excellent choice! So here's my advice after six years:

1) No matte finishes. You want paint that you can use a damp rag on to wipe off drool.
2) Have a cleaning schedule. We literally have "spit patrol" on our schedule three times a week (though sometimes we do it less). We just walk around the house and look for drool spots we didn't catch earlier. Our dogs love to eat, then shake. Oy.
3) Have a box dedicated to "dog towels." Keep a towel handy when you're sitting down. Our bigger dog, Sofa, loves to drink, then come lay his head in our laps. Towels are a must.
4) Easy to clean surfaces. We have a glass coffee table; much easier to clean off.
5) Dust cloths. One thing I didn't anticipate was how much dust our dogs bring in on their coats. We just have to dust a little more than we used to.
6) If you have a rainy season, have a lot of floor mats. We got several from IKEA that weren't too expensive. It's a lot easier than having to mop the floors constantly.
7) Try to feed your dog somewhere that's not in the main flow of traffic. There's just no way for a drooly dog to eat tidily. We are looking forward to finishing our basement so we have an area to feed them down there.
8) Leather and vinyl surfaces! We have a leather couch and chair in our living room. It's just easier to clean.
9) Bedding that you can wash, even the bedspread. Our dogs love to come over and put their jowls on the side of the bed to wake us up in the morning.

And mainly, just relax. When our newfy passed away several years ago, we made a vow that we would 1) never get a dog we couldn't lift and 2) never get a male dog who would drool. Now we have a 185-pound dog who drools constantly. Totally used to it. You know why? Because they are completely awesome!!!! Give your dog a big, slobbery kiss for me.
- Mary T.

P.S. Heavy duty toys! Recommend Jolly Balls for the yard and wubbas for water retrieval. They love them!