The big red dot indicates where we are in outback Queensland, I take pups as far as Brisbane when they are ready to go, from there they are flown on to other destinations by Dogtainers, a very professional dog moving firm.
Phil and myself
Woo and myself in front of "The Round House" which was the first of two stone houses I built on the block, both are made of stone, the walls on this house are two feet thick and contain some huge stones, some of which took two men to lift into place, the smaller cottage we now live in, has smaller stones, I was able to do all the stonework on it by myself.
The dream to own a stone house which would stand up to all conditions having become a reality, I decided, after owning over the years many dogs of so called guard types, most of which would not guard their dinner, that if ever I was to have a reliable line of home guard, the way to go was to breed them myself, Phil, who loves all dogs has been a great help, building kennels and large yards and helping always with the dogs, though he never takes much interest in what or who is mated to what.
We both come from rural backgrounds and have spent many years on properties, working stock and dogs, it is this background that makes us the individuals we are, bush people need to be very self reliant jack of all trades types, this we both are, each compliments the other.
I had heard of Bandogs and Neapolitan Mastiffs, and that they were unparallel as guards, so boots and all, without ever so much as having laid eyes on either, I bought some of each, all were great guards, but the Bandogs were small, hard to handle and not well bred, the Neapolitan Mastiffs were not as fit as I would like a dog to be, so over the years I have modified both, since the Bandogs I was producing by the mid 1900s were nothing like those original ones I called them "Australian Bandogs" to differentiate between them (the Bandogs) and the dogs being sold as Swinford, or American Bandogs. ( A straight Neapolitan Mastiff Pit Bull cross is no more a "Swinford" Bandog than I am, but won't go into that here)
Fortunately I had decided years ago that the Pit Bull content was not a necessity in the home guard, so went for the American Staffordshire and other Molosser types, to mix with the Neapolitan Mastiff to make up my own unique type of Bandog, in view of the Breed Specific Legislation policy of the Queensland Government today, this proved a very good move indeed, as my Trublue Bandogs do not contain any of the banned breeds, they are still legal and may go almost anywhere that allows cross bred dogs to go.
I have also over the years addressed the genetic problems so often found in the Neapolitan Mastiff and have now a far fitter line than when we first began to breed, I have achieved this by keeping closer to the breed description of 60kg. and up for the male, and 50kg. and up for the females and NOT attempting to go too far above this, also of course have culled any dog who either had a fault, or threw too high a percentage of faulty pups, this has resulted in a steady rise in fitter dogs with far fewer failing in health at an early age as is often the case with the over sized animals so often seen today.
Phil and I keep very much to ourselves, our dogs are our life, and it has been a great pleasure to both of us to see our Trublue Bandogs gain world wide recognition, and to make so many friends through them, both in Australia and overseas. It is also a great buzz to find that so many are looking for a fitter Neapolitan Mastiff than is common, and I receive many emails about our Neos, and have sent them to people in many countries as well, even though they have Neos much closer to home than Australia.
It is also pleasing indeed that the only three that I know to have been shown have gained the titles of Aust. Champion for Abcalert Hannible, and Aust. Champion for Abcalert Shadow, Abcalert Artemis has also gained her championship, a sure proof that it is possible to have beauty go hand in hand with a fitter working type temperament than is the norm for the Neapolitan Mastiff of today.
Aust. Champ. Abcalert Shadow