Our first mastiff came to us in 2001 from Greiner Hall mastiffs. We had done a ton of research. Stephen and Leah Napotnik allowed us to come visit their house and kennel. There we met Greiner Hall Nicholas. Nick had a presence that filled the yard and the surrounding area. He, without making a noise or moving a muscle, commanded the area. He was truly a mastiff. Nicholas fathered a litter with Greiner Hall Zoe. From that litter we selected our first mastiff, who we named Greiner Hall Beowulf.
One day a van drove down our driveway with no marks on it and out stepped a man claiming to be a satellite dish installer. He had no credentials and no indication that he was what he said he was. My wife was home alone at the time with Beo. The man was allowed out of his truck but no farther. Beo didn't do anything but stand and watch the man. He placed himself between the man and my wife. The man demanded that my wife put Beo away and my wife declined, not knowing who this person was. The man finally left.
We would take our dogs to the community dog park. One day a friend of ours brought her grandchild to the park to meet all the dogs. The child was a special needs child with some severe disabilities. Beowulf, to our complete astonishment, picked him out of the crowd of people and stayed by his side the entire time he was in the park. He kept all the other dogs away. He protected that child from everything. Calm dogs were allowed near, but the jumpers or the runners or the packs were not allowed near. It was truly amazing to watch.
Beowulf was a beautiful dog. He wasn't overly tall but he was thick with heavy bone and a beautiful head. He had decent angulation and a strong rear. His shoulders were thick and strong. His height came from depth of chest, not from length of legs.