"Following the prestigious Crufts Dog show this March, the Neapolitan Mastiff is now the focus of even more negative media attention, with bloggers and the canine press bandying around words such as 'deformed,' 'sad and sorry' and 'abominations.' But the breed has really been in the spotlight since the initial airing of the now infamous BBC documentary "Pedigree Dogs Exposed" in 2008. The Mastino now finds itself one of 15 breeds deemed to be in need of the highest level of policing under the Kennel Club's 'Fit for Function, Fit for Life' and 'Breed Watch' programs. ...."

The Neapolitan Mastiff in under siege in the United Kingdom. Will the rest of the world follow suit? Kim Slater opines.

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"Seeing and watching the Mastino in its native land lets you into its essence - not just of the breed, but the breeders. Those who have their life consumed by Mastino, and even those that are 'just' touched by them - they are the neighbors or family but not involved in the day to day with the dogs - they also give insight. But, especially the few (very few now) that were with them throughout their journey - before the outside world knew of them."

Australian Mastino breeder and talented photographer Lorene Cantarella shares some evocative images from her book Mastini: A Photographic Odyssey.

"You might get the idea that hypertype is a modern 'disease' in Neapolitan Mastiffs. It is at its peak, I am sorry to say. We, breeders and judges alike, were in a constant battle to fight the 'blue mongrel' in the Mastino and to combine the desired extra richness of type - deep, broad-set bodies on massive, strong legs with ample loose skin all over, especially around the head - with soundness and strength. But not long after, I noticed the first feelings of discomfort with the definite direction the breed took ..."

In his popular "Molosser Musings" column, Bas Bosch turns his attention to the most operatic of the Molossers.

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"When I presented myself as a young recruit in military uniform to a Mastino breeder near the barracks where I was stationed, like a novice dog person I asked all kinds of banal questions: How much does the dog weigh, is he good, is he bad, how much does he eat and what does he eat ... ? At this final question, the unlucky man frowned and responded in a thick Neapolitan dialect: 'A pizza!' To my surprise and perplexity, he showed me a bag containing the pizza crusts that he had recovered from a nearby pizzeria. That is how in those years the Mastini Napoletani that went on to be the breed's founders were reared: Pizza at best, and the truly fortunate, chicken wings. . ..."

In this wide-ranging interview, FCI judge and Mastino expert Guido Vandoni discusses temperament, hypertype and favorite memories of the breed.

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"One very common mistake is to think that a young Neapolitan Mastiff will 'grow into its own skin,' like a Shar-Pei. The skin amount in the Neapolitan Mastiff develops gradually and never anticipates or overcomes the development of skeletal bone in this breed. A young dog with excess dewlap and skin in his hindquarters is not a good example of the breed standard and will become even more excessive with age! In fact, it is more desirable to have a youngster with excellent bone construction and still developing skin than a lighter (or thinner boned) adult with much more skin throughout its head and body. "

Breeder-judge Pierluigi Scalia offers this primer on how to judge the juvenile Neo.