Kiki - Sedona, Arizona

Kiki is a Tibetan Mastiff, she is nearly 8 years old and weighs about 140 lbs. We gave her the name 'Kiki' as it seems like a tiny dog name and just fit her. She is what they call a 'guardian dog'......not a guard dog. She is protective of her home and family.  The Tibetan Mastiff's were bred to protect the Tibetan Monastery's and were tied up during the day and released at night to roam and freely guard the monks and property.  She has a deep throated 'cathedral-like bark' and sounds pretty formidable....but she adores children and is like a 'gentle giant'. She is a little wary of strangers because of her breed.

She wants to be in the center of all family gatherings and we have 11 grandchildren so she's very happy. The little ones climb all over her. She's most content to pick a place in the middle of the kitchen floor to lie down and spread out and block doorways etc. when all the kids are over, so we have to get her up and make her move.  She's very smart, sometimes I think smarter than we are.