No, I'm not Italian (and answers to other Corso questions)

All of these questions in this post are actual questions from real people.  Most of the responses are really what I've said, except for the green italicized phrases - those are just what I was thinking at the time when asked.  


What is a Cane Corso?


A Cane (Kah-Nay) Corso is an Italian Mastiff dog.  The other Italian Mastiff that most people would be familiar with is the Neopolitan Mastiff (aka Fang the Harry Potter movie dog).  The Cane Corso is the more athletic of the two mastiffs.  They are both descendants of the Roman the canis Pugnaces - a legendary dog of war.  The breed was near extinction in the 1970s.  They were first brought to the US in the late 80s.   They gained full recognition by the AKC in July 2010


Aren't they mean/vicious/attack dogs? (This question always invariably would come on the heels of the "what is a cane corso?" question)


You mean the dog you didn't even know existed and never heard of 30 seconds ago?  No.  However bad people can do bad things with dogs and mastiff types get that kind of reputation regardless of their true disposition.  They are guardians and protectors and even that trait can be used against them.  They can be fierce looking especially with cropped ears, but look at the mug on my pup and you'll likely experience "envy."  (See kids - that's irony!)

So Sleepy

  


Are you Italian?


No, I'm not.  I wasn't aware that I needed to be.  If it makes you feel better, I can get a German short hair, Irish setter, English springer spaniel, and throw in a Polish lowland sheepdog next time for good measure to fulfill my obligation of owning only those dogs that fall within my /our heritage.


How did you pick a Cane Corso?


See my first post:  The Story of the Cane Corso and Us


Did you know that envy is one of the seven deadly sins?


Yes, I'm Catholic, so I'm familiar with the concept of sins and types of sins.  Did you know that envy is just a word?  It's also the emotional verb that we felt when we first saw her newborn pictures and thought she wasn't ours.  Our next dogs will be Gluttony, Greed,  Sloth, Wrath, and Pride - not Lust though, that name is just too difficult to imagine saying out loud at the Dog Park.  Of course, we could always go with the more virtuous - Chastity, Temperance, Charity, Patience, Kindness, Humility, or Diligence.  See Sr. Rita - I do remember.


How fast do they grow?  


Almost fast enough to watch it happen.  Overnight, sometimes.


How big will she get?


Females are generally 80 to 100 lbs from what I've read.  The males are bigger.  We think/hope she will be an 80 pounder with a ginormous head.