Review by Nick Waters

Memorable Images

Some breed books are aimed at the first time buyer, others are more scholarly, but every once and a while one appears that will have universal appeal. Mastiff Images by Hans Rosingh is one of these rarities, writes Nick Waters.

Rosingh is an extraordinary gifted photographer, capable of capturing the moments that define the reasons for the special bond between man and his canine companions. All of us who have owned Mastiffs will be reminded of special times with our dogs, moments of unforgettable pleasure and moments of great sadness but all worthy of a place in our psyche.

The 121 pages of photographs alone make for a memorable book but the addition of the text – or diary entries – makes this an unique publication. Rosingh’s observations of the lives of his extended Mastiff family are fascinating and both amusing and moving. Few dog owners, let alone Mastiff owners, would bring up their dogs in a family environment reminiscent of wild dogs in packs, and this gives Rosingh the advantage over most of us. His descriptions of birth, life and death are at times tackled with much sadness and evolve like the changing seasons of the year.

A Mastiff breeder for 30 years, his Lazybones kennel has produced many successful dogs and some thoughts as a breeder come over in this text. There are times when he makes one stop and think that in our striving for perfection, have we always got our priorities right?
Edited by Bas Bosch and published by BBPress in the Netherlands – the text is in English – with a foreword by Betty Baxter, Mastiff Images is guaranteed a place in contemporary literature on the dog.

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