These are beautiful shots! I completely agree with Mum of 8, and others with positive opinions and I’d like to add another point of view. I think those people who say “terrible parenting” etc. don’t think about world… Thousands and thousands of people kill and hurt other persons (and animals) in every minutes, in every countries, and sometimes a dog attacks somebody and media full of that story. Consider this and after that make judgement. I think human beings more dangerous than any type of dogs. When I was a little child, I jumped to a very huge dog’s tail, then the dog turned around (every adult was terrified) and assessed my age, so lay back. Nothing happened. It was a huge shepherd dog.

When I was married with kids we had a female Australian Shepherd mix (just before we adopted our son) and she and the boy became best pals.

this is the purest form of love

This is NOT adorable!!!! This is very dangerous!!! By allowing this the dog sees this baby as his posesion. The third picture shows the dog leaving his scent on the baby, like cats do, saying this is mine!! Please never do this with your own baby and dog. Things can go very, very wrong!!!!

I’ve owned Mastiff’s all of my life and now breed them. I know the breed and love them dearly.

NEVER ALLOW YOUR MASTIFF TO DO THIS WITH YOUR CHILDREN. PERIOD. EVER!

The dog is not hugging the child. The dog is asserting dominance over the new addition to their pack. Dogs assert dominance and train puppies with nips and bites. Nips and bites that puppies are physically built to handle. Nips and bites that could maim or kill a baby. The final photo is the scariest because that dog has staked its claim and often in that position the next thing they do is bite and shake the object they’ve staked their claim over.

Mastiff’s do actually make good family pets as they will guard and protect, but they will also challenge their position in the family pack (you, your children and the dog(s) are the family pack).

Foolish doesn’t begin to describe the actions of the parents who allowed this.

This is really a dangerous situation to put an infant in. Mastiff Momma is completely right in saying that this dog is displaying signs of dominance over this tiny child and will do what any higher pack member would do to keep it in line: nip, bite, paw and possibly lift and shake. I know many people have had entirely positive experiences with their own animals and, in many cases, there are dogs who would not attack a baby. But is it really worth taking the risk? Especially if it is marking the baby with its scent (by rubbing his head on it) and showing dominance by laying on it/draping his paw over it. Nice pictures in theory, extremely dangerous position to put a child in in real life.

this is so cute i think it is adorable i did this when i was younger very cut dog and adorable daog you have yes it is a little dangerous but if you train him or her they will love them not hurt them SO CUTE:D

oh yeah so cute until your dog establishes dominance and maims your child. mastiff mama thanks for your comment bc i got this as an email and am a mastiff owner with small children and while our mastiff is super sweet, i notice he constantly challenges our authority. this has made me more aware as a mastiff owner and lover.

i own an Old English Mastiff, she still in her puppy stage as she is only a litte over a year old, i havent seen her show sign of dominance yet, how will i know when she is doing so, is there any signs to look for?
and now, i wouldnt ever allow her to “cuddle” with a child, just her weight alone could hurt them…..

oh!! this is so cute

i wish i had a dog like that!!the dog and the baby is soooooooooo cute !!! ^_^

this is very dangerous !!!!the dog may kill it !!!!!

that baby and dog r so cute together!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and they look so happy together..but in one of the pics it looks like the dog is smashing it.. but dogs r veary gintel things..i have one and i know..they know when ur down and they now when u r happy but they also no when somthing happend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You must be nuts!

people have been attacked by their own dogs. one big bite and even if the baby lived the scares will be there for ever. why take a chance. if I were on a jury of this sort Id take the baby / children out of the home and have the parents fixed to where they cant have any more children or adopt any .animals belong out side and children need to come first. This is true of cats and any other thing.

Is there any commen sense anymore?

Get a damn life people! This dog is clearly cuddling with this baby, and it is NOT dominating it! I own a Mastiff, and there is a BIG difference. Also, LEARN HOW TO SPELL if you are going to post insults about this WONDERFUL breed of dogs!

It’s been my experience that dogs seek to establish dominance in the presence of a pack.. Babies don’t seek to be the alpha-much-of-anyhing..and the dog is obviously responding to that. I grew up with a sheppard…certainly an animal that would exert dominance if challenged… Elfie decided I was her kid and any dominace she might have been feeling was not evident when I usta bite on her ears… Get a grip people… until there is a rash of babies trampled by the family pet, can we not at least pretend that these animals actually love their baby family members?

Well said Jamie… It’s alittle frustrating when you are fighting off the urge to call someone dimwitted and they struggle with spelling.. Some peoples kids..lol!

I own and train Bandogges- being familiar with dogs, and Mastiffs in general, I’m fully aware that this isn’t “snuggling” behavior.

this is the same thing a dog will do with a beloved posession, like a toy.

letting your dog lick your baby’s fingers is one thing. allowing your dog to treat your baby like its personal property is a whole different story.

dogs do not see infants as “young masters”. they see them as puppies.
an insolent pup gets snapped at or nipped. is this a good chance to take?
i certainly don’t think so.

I love dogs, and I’ve owned dogs since I was born. Even so, I don’t think I would allow this. I think it would be different if there was an adult right beside them at the time.

Other comments say “I’m sure that the parents would notice if something was wrong, and stop it!” but noticing that something is wrong could come too late. Dogs aren’t slow, and they aren’t going to wait for you to jump in and stop them if something spooks them.

I think that, although, yes, the pictures are kind of sweet, (Though the baby appears somewhat squished in a couple…) a little more care could have been taken.

You people are some of the most ignorant i’ve ever heard of. I rarely read comments on beautiful things such as these because there are always all of you skeptics trying to make it seem like the animal has such bad intentions. Mastiffs are some of the most KIND and CARING and SWEET and LOVING animals i have ever had the pleasure to meet, let alone to own. This mastiff is kind, caring, and so beautiful. Obviously there WAS somebody right beside the animal, or these pictures wouldn’t have been possible. The family trusts their dog, just like a part of their family. As well as it should be. Take your negative comments elsewhere. This beautiful series is captivating, and I love seeing it every time I do. Thanks for the smiles!

I agree, @ the rest of you….people needn’t be mean or negative, but criticism can be useful, just like punishment can be useful. People shouldn’t be afraid to use either one when it is truly necessary.

The person taking the photos wasn’t aware of the dog’s real motivations, and it’s a positive and productive thing to let them know that their baby might be in danger in the future. This dog is loving and kind, in that it is not actively aggressive or dangerous. But it’s being dominant, and if you’ve seen a dog with it’s puppies and with it’s toys, it definitely loves them both, but it also bites them and roughs them up, because that’s what puppies need, and toys are for.

I love dogs and I love to cuddle them and pretend they really love me, in the human way. But this is not reality and I’m glad I am forcing myself to be aware of it (ignorance is not bliss…knowledge is power). Our society is slowly backing away from reality every time we humanize something an animal does and refuse to acknowledge and respect their natures.

::steps down sheepishly from soapbox::