The Australian Bandog Alliance, Trublue and Southern Cross.
or below to email Katrina of Southern Cross Bandog kennels or leave this site and go to Southern Cross site http://www.matildadowns.com.au/
phone 0746 543272 or 0427027159
Also visit my main site, this site is about my Neos but also contains a good deal of general information about dogs. If you get a double window by going direct from here, cut the URL,go right out of this site and then paste the URL in fresh.
Myself and my partner Phil.
There is much confusion about what a Bandog is and what breeds should go into the making of him, when the Bandog was first made popular in Australia the general idea that he must be half pit-bull and half Neapolitan Mastiff was wide spread, it was said that the American vet, John Swinford, who bred Bandogs back in the 1940's did this and that such dogs were 'Swinfords'
To this day many still believe this utter bullshit, for a start, Swinford used English Mastiff, more properly just called a Mastiff, her photo can be seen on quite a few sites if you go look. For another thing, Bandogs date back many centuries, mention has been made of them long before the pit-bull was ever in existence let alone America. Swinford did not invent them, nor did his line of dogs live on in any recognised way after his early death.
Bandogs were always simply a lighter and more active form of the old Molosser or Mastiff, no more, no less. What he must be is a good protector and of Mastiff type origin, for instance you should not call a sheepdog crossed with a Mastiff a Bandog.
A Bandog who will NOT protect is the only thing in the light Mastiff line that I would NOT call a Bandog!
So, having cleared that up, (I Hope) to get to tell you a bit about us, and the dogs we breed today, having obtained a few rather raw prototypes in the early 90's I realised they were far from the ideal, but, they certainly had a lot going for them and I did some thinking and researching to work out what breeds to add and in what proportions to add them to get the ideal family protection dog, a dog who would be safe and stable around kids and friends yet still protect his family and home,with the qualities of the Neapolitan Mastiff whom I love for his unique character (and which I also breed), but without his immense size and with fewer faults, I will not go into detail, but I have done it, after years of breeding and keeping close watch on the resultant dogs, Trublues are amongst the most stable, balanced and safe home protection and companion dogs you will find anywhere.
I made no attempt to copy what anyone else has done but did my own thing and called my dogs 'Australian' Bandogs,so that people would know they differ from the dogs often called Swinford, or American, Bandogs, some years later I have been joined by Katrina Hartwell of Southern Cross kennels in what we term our Bandog Alliance, we trade bloodlines and keep in close contact although we live many miles apart, Southern cross is the only other kennel I can say I know enough about to recommend, not to say there are not other good breeders out there, just that unless I know somebody very well indeed I will not recommend them, and there are also so many breeders who are dishonest or who simply know not what they do that you do need to be very wary, an unstable Bandog (or any dog for that matter) is a tragedy waiting to happen, so is any dog reared wrongly. If a breeder lacks knowledge himself, he cannot advise you about care or how best to raise your pup.....deadly.
My own kennel name will continue when I retire, I have already sorted this out and that breeder will make himself known when the time comes.
If you wish to read about Bandogs and the like and some relly indepth history go to Barbara's blog, it is one of the best I have seen.
Above Katrina and the grand old dog Bolio and below talking to Butch cappel at Australia's first Pro Sports event which we both attended.
