Dolly Moore

Thank you for the honor of being a Breeder’s Cup Judge for the 2022 MCOA National Specialty Show! Breeder’s Cup is my favorite MCOA event and I am thrilled to be asked to judge it in particular. Each beautiful Mastiff, correct in mind and body, is truly a product of the dedication and passion of the many breeders who contributed to the ‘recipe’ of that dog, often at great personal expense. I have been fortunate in my life to have learned from many great Mastiff breeders through the years and am grateful to them for sharing their wealth of Mastiff knowledge and experience with me. As a child my best friend was a Saint Bernard dog named Suzy. We were both sixteen when she died- and after those years with her I was hooked for life on giant breeds. Since none of our dogs since that time have lived to be 16 as Suzy did, I have a deep awareness of living in the moment with our Mastiffs- and treasure each day with them. After our marriage in 1982 my husband and I acquired our first Mantle Great Dane. Soon after we purchased a gorgeous Harlequin girl and I first tried my hand at exhibiting at AKC dog shows. It was during the eighties that I discovered and fell in love with the Mastiff breed and have been forever obsessed. Since then I have also discovered that while I do enjoy showing puppies, I am happiest at dog shows when I can be a spectator and watch my dogs be presented by a professional handler. Our first Mastiff came to us in 1991 and we could not have had a better introduction to the Mastiff breed than our Maddie. Since then I have spent countless hours studying Mastiff structure and learning pedigrees to see what combinations have produced the Mastiffs I love. My husband and I have been blessed to have since shared our lives with many Mastiffs and have had the wonderful experience of breeding some outstanding champions. We have chosen not to breed many utterly gorgeous Mastiffs who excelled in the show ring and had great temperaments, but failed a health test I ultimately felt was non-negotiable. That is also just part of the journey of a successful Mastiff breeder as well. There is little to me that is as fulfilling as the entire process of putting together a breeding with the best Mastiff I have to the best I can find- who I think will produce amazing Mastiffs sound in mind and body- and then watching the results of all the planning unfold through a new generation of ambassadors of the Mastiff breed. When it all comes together as hoped for- there is little to compare to that feeling. Though initially raising young children and without much free time, I was slow to join Mastiff clubs. Now I encourage membership in our breed clubs to anyone wanting to learn as much as possible about your chosen breed- and particularly encourage volunteering as a great way to meet other like-minded folks in the breed. As a member of MCOA and SSMF now for many years, I have served on the board of both organizations when called to do so. Have been webmaster for both clubs and served on various committees as well as have chaired and co-chaired many supported entry shows and some regional specialties as well as co-chairing the 2019 MCOA National Specialty. Currently I still serve on the board of the Southern States Mastiff Fanciers and enjoy planning who our next generation of Mastiffs to continue on with will be- as our last generation of beloved Mastiffs ages out- and are thoroughly enjoying our first French Bulldog, Ava.

-Dolly Moore- Monastic Mastiffs-