Live Life Team
The Dogo Cubano, also known as the Cuban Mastiff or Cuban Dogge, is a Molosser (Mastiff) breed that is now extinct. Its origins are uncertain, but it was thought to have descended from English Mastiffs introduced to a Cuban monastery in the mid 16th century. There, the dogs were refined to become a distinct breed.
The original Cubo Dogano is known only from 19th century books and prints. It was a solid, muscular breed, and somewhat smaller than the English Mastiff with a powerful short muzzle and pendulous ears. They were kept for dog fighting and as guard dogs.
The Cuban Mastiff was reputed to be used to hunt down runaway slaves in the Southern States. However, it is uncertain whether these were a true Cuban breed or just a name used to describe all Molosser-type dogs. Nonetheless, it gives some idea as to the uses they were put through in their native land. By the 1940s, the Cubo Dogano had been extensively interbred with breeds like the Dogo Argentino and American Pit Bull. Although the breed name was retained, these dogs were radically altered from their early origins.
Photographs from this period on show a white stocky dog lacking the characteristic Mastiff muzzle and coat. The Cuban Dog of today cannot be considered to be the original Dogo Cubano in any shape or form. The one feature the modern Cuban dog has retained is its ancestor’s fierce fighting nature. Kept mainly as family guard dogs, they have been known to kill each other whilst mating.
