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Epiphany Mastiffs, Est. 2001
"What the Lion is to the Cat
the Mastiff is to the Dog,
the noblest of the family;
he stands alone,
and all others sink before him.
His courage does not exceed
his temper and generosity,
and in attachment he equals
the kindest of his race."
Cynographia Britannica - 1800
There's a new Yahoo group that Candi and Tracy have started to talk about Mastiffs!
Come join us in a friendly chat environment!!
Click to join gentle_giant_talk
Be sure to go to our home page while you're here!
We are Candace "Candi" Thore and Tracy Thore and we live in Waverly, VA on 7 acres of wooded land. We own Mastiffs that we show and occasionally breed for the betterment of the breed only. In addition to the Mastiffs that we own, we also have cats and chickens that roam our property freely. The Mastiffs live in the house, but are confined to a fenced in area when outside.
We got our first Mastiff in 2001 and after that knew there had to be more. Candi used to breed Persian cats many years ago, and together Candi and Tracy used to breed German Shepherds. We mutually agreed that we wanted to breed only Mastiffs since they are the best breed of dogs in the world. There is a saying heard in the Mastiff world that "Mastiffs are like potato chips... you can't have just one!" We found that to be true rather quickly. We wanted to breed them so that one day we would produce the best Mastiff ever!
Candi is at home nearly all the time so she can play with, nurture and take care of the puppies/dogs. Tracy is a computer programmer by day, he helps Candi by doing all the hard jobs needed to keep the operation running smoothly and sometimes assists Candi with the website, he sings and plays guitar in a local rock band and incredibly somehow he manages to find the time to be the dog show handler too!
At Epiphany Mastiffs we strive to breed for health, longevity, gentle temperaments, Mastiffs with true breed type, excellent conformation, companionship, and courage to ensure that your pet will be great with children, adults and other animals. We have never used our Mastiffs or puppies to supplement our incomes, and we never would! We have spent quite a fortune on our animals for their happiness, comfort, health and not to mention their food. We are privileged to have these Gentle Giants in our lives and we wouldn't have it any other way!
All of our puppies are born in the house and are kept inside until they are old enough to go outside on their own after weaning. They are given supplemental bottle feedings along with receiving their own mother's milk to assist in their human socialization. They are raised with continuous human bonding and socializing provided by both Candi and her wonderfully patient husband, Tracy. We are there with them when they take their first breath, when they open their eyes, when they begin to walk, and when they eat their first puppy "mush" meal. When you receive one of our puppies you will know that your new best friend has known nothing but love from day one! They are taught how to play with toys and are socialized as much as possible before leaving to go to their new homes at 9 weeks of age. We know each puppy's temperament and disposition and know how each of them will react in different situations because we have been there with them from the day they were born.
To help in our puppy's early development and socialization we use a Neurological stimulation method published by Dr. Carmen L Battaglia. We start using this method on our puppies shortly after birth and it helps us to raise better puppies. In using these methods we aim to produce life long lasting effects that are positive for the Mastiff breed. Since we have started using this method our puppies are "bomb proof". Our goal is to create Mastiffs that have more stable temperaments and are less disturbed or upset by new situations. The other benefits to using this method is that they have improved cardio vascular performance (heart rate), stronger heart beats, stronger adrenal glands, more tolerance to stress and greater resistance to disease. We try to give newborn puppies a head start on life and a life long advantage over others who were not stimulated by these methods.
We do not breed often, and when we do we will have the parents to our puppies on our grounds so they can be checked out by any potential new owners. There are occasions when we do an outside breeding and that parent will not be on site, but we will be able to provide information about the absent parent if requested.
Each puppy that is placed by us comes with a written health guarantee for 2 years that is included in our contract. All shots and wormings are current and up to date at the time of placement. Show puppies will be placed with full registration on a co-ownership basis. Companion/pet puppies will be placed with a spay/neuter contract and limited registration.
We are very selective about where our Mastiffs are placed, and who we breed to. Before we consider any breeding, we will require the minimum following health tests: hips, elbows, PRA and Brucelosis. We will also require proof of AKC registration. We will not place or breed any Mastiff without the signing of our contract first. By signing one of our contracts, the new owner guarantees Epiphany Mastiffs that no animal placed by us will ever be sold, placed, have ownership transferred, abandoned or turned over to any type of rescue group, animal shelter or pound. We require that an online questionnaire be submitted before the placement of any of our animals. The purpose of the questionnaire is to ensure that our pets go to a home that is suitable for the animal.
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