Neo Daniff

The Great Dane came from Germany in 3000 B.C. as a watchdog and hunter. They are thought to be ancestors of the Irish Greyhound, Old English Mastiff, and the Wolfhound. There are drawings of dogs who looked like Great Danes discovered in the Temples of Babylon built in 2000 B.C. and written accounts of similar dogs in Chinese literature from 1121 B.C. so they may have been around longer. They were brought to many places around the world by Assyrians who traded their dogs to the Greeks and Romans. They were first referred to as Boar Hounds because they were bred to hunt wild boar but then were changed to English Dogges in the 1500s. The Germans later changed their name again to Kammerhunde, which means chamber dog. Once again, their name was changed in the 1700s to Grand Danois, which was later changed to Great Danish Dogs and ended up being called Great Danes. In 1887, this breed was acknowledged by the American Kennel Club and it is the 14^th most popular breed of dog in America. The Neapolitan Mastiff has been around since ancient times and was used originally in Italy as a guard dog. These giant dogs descended from the British Mastiff and Roman War Dogs. With their droopy skin and giant features, they make an imposing guard for any household and were used to guard farms as well as estates. They almost disappeared after World War II but in 1946, they were reintroduced by a journalist named Piero Scanziana, who took a great interest in the breed. The American Kennel Club did not acknowledge the Neapolitan Mastiff until 2004 where it is the 99^th most popular breed of dog.