We love a good legend as much as anyone, particularly when it surrounds a pure breed of dog. Legends eventually get revealed as a historical exaggeration, a bit of finessed oral tradition, or faulty records, but sometimes, legends have their roots in fact.
Tibetan Mastiffs have their share of mythology, and this first one, we’re pretty sure, is untrue: Tibetan Mastiffs are descended from a breed of lions in the Himalayas, and that accounts for their ferocity. A variation of this story holds that the breed was produced through mating with black bears, not lions, but either would be apt to make a dog cranky.
Another favorite is that when Genghis Khan marched on to conquer Western Europe, his “fierce troops” included 50,000 soldiers that were all Tibetan Mastiffs. They would feed on the bodies of enemies, trudge on invincibly, and performed exploits that shocked and amazed the Khan.
The legend of “One Dog Beating Five Wolves” is one that is widely spread throughout the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, and we find this one more believable: In 1992 on a frigid winter night, a Tibetan Mastiff named “Gold Panther” was sleeping beside his master’s tent at the 4,000-meter high altitude township of Awancang, Maqu County in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province. Gold Panther was alerted by five hungry wolves breaking into the tend, and when his master arrived, Gold Panther was wounded and bleeding all over. Beside him, however, were five dead wolves. We can believe it of any loyal dog, and the Tibetan Mastiff has the might to pull it off. Sure. Why not.
Image: Tibetan Mastiff Chinese Ink Brush Painting is available here