Born to Protect

Steadfast and devoted, the Bullmastiff watches over those he loves.

Lindy Whyte will never forget the night her 6-year-old Bullmastiff Talus grew up.

"When Talus and several others were out on a late-night, last-call potty break, I fell down some stone steps and couldn't get up," recalls the American Bullmastiff Association secretary. "I knew I was in trouble, and Talus, who was a clownish, energetic 1-year-old puppy at the time, knew it, too. He came down the stairs to me and stood like a rock while I put my arm over him and pulled myself up. Then he served as a crutch. With me leaning on him, he'd take a step, then stop for me, and so got me to the house."

Whyte, who suffered a broken collarbone, cracked ribs, and a torn cruciate ligament from the fall, says Talus' guardian heritage came into play that night at her Pennsylvania home.

"Bullmastiffs were bred to be discerning protectors and are uniquely attuned to their people," she says. "Talus knew when I really needed help."

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