(Mr Douglas Oliff)

The Neapolitan Mastiff Club, very sadly wishes to inform all Mastino enthusiasts of the passing of our Club President Douglas Oliff. Douglas passed peacefully away on Friday the 15th of February 2008. And, although I can not say, I knew Douglas in the manner his close friends had come to know him through his lifelong passion and involvement in the World of Canines over the decades, I came to know Douglas through his writing, his discourse and random thoughts, as he used to call them.

One of the most eloquent writers I have ever had the pleasure to learn from, Douglas's words always placed the smile of recognition upon my face, fuelled my enthusiasm with food for thought and genuinely reached inside to touch my soul. A truly learn'ed Gentleman, whom for me, will always live on through his words. Gone but never forgotten, a man amongst many.

Rest In Peace Douglas

In Memory of Douglas Oliff

This is such a difficult task, not only to write about Douglas Oliff the man, but how does one also write about a great writer and do justice? I decided, therefore, to try to emulate Douglas himself and imagine him reading, with a wry smile on his face, my ‘rambling thoughts and musings’

I first met Douglas in 1998 following a telephone call to my home. He had apparently seen my first Neapolitan Mastiff at a dog show and invited me to attend a seminar he was conducting on all Mastiff Breeds in Birmingham and to bring along my dog to the seminar. This was the first of many two hour long conversations we had over the following years, where we discussed at length all aspects of the breed and its steady progression in UK. I learned that although Douglas was known primarily as a breeder, owner and a world renowned judge of Mastiffs and Bullmastiffs, he was also one of first owners in UK of a Neapolitan Mastiff and was held in such high regard, he remains to this day, the only UK person to be invited by the Italian Mastinari to judge the breed at a Speciality Show in the heart of Naples. In the way of thanks, he was gifted with a traditional rustic Mastino collar, fashioned from hand stitched leather and lined with badger hair that always took pride of place on his shelf at his home Wyaston, in the heart of the Forest of Dean.

It was truly one of life’s pleasures to visit this oasis of calm in what is today a very hectic world. One felt the shoulders become lighter as soon as you walked through the gates and up the natural path, with only the sounds of the birds and the breeze rustling the leaves of the trees in the orchard, past the bantam hens, geese, bee hives and cider press, to be greeted by Sophie, the faithful housedog companion, of whom Douglas said many a time, ‘her head is not her fortune, but her heart is that of a true Mastino’! Water was drawn from the natural well to make a cup of tea to go with a slice of homemade simnel cake, from an old Victorian recipe of Douglas’ mother. We would then settle down for a day of pure Mastino indulgence.

Douglas was an excellent teacher with a deep knowledge of the Mastino, not only in its physical construction, but also his place in history and how he would fare in modern day society. He was greatly concerned that would be breeders and fanciers here in UK should forget to consider functionality and tradition, that the breeds fascinating history and heritage would be lost and simply become another breed for the show ring. We spoke in depth about his initial attraction for the Mastino, the inscrutable expression he wore when weighing up a situation, the ancient, basic cunning and intelligence which was so unique and such a refreshing change from other breeds within the Mastiff group, as well as the various interpretations of type he had encountered on his trips to Italy. In the course of his research, he became a great friend of fellow author Mario Zacchi (of the definite book The Neapolitan Mastiff) and they discovered that they both shared much common ground with their thoughts and opinions. When I first dipped my toe into the import market with a young female from the Bengasche Kennel in Rome, Douglas accompanied me on my first visit to her in quarantine and I knew he approved of her, since the same day, I was presented with his own well thumbed copy of the Zacchi book, complete with pencilled notes in the margins and a Christmas card to Douglas from the author where he had enclosed a personal photograph of himself with his new puppy on his lap. I was completely overwhelmed by Douglas’s generosity and honoured to be the recipient of such a special gift.

Douglas had many little sayings and wise words which I now often find myself quoting. The most popular was made during the many health vs type discussions on the Mastino, when Douglas always stated ‘but without type, where is the breed?’ The most personal was when I asked him what had led him to make that call to my home at the start of our friendship, because my dog didn’t win the show and there were better examples he could have selected for his seminar. He said ‘when you see a spark, it’s always good to try to light a fire’

Douglas, in my case, you succeeded in lighting that fire and it is still burning brightly for the breed you loved. I am certain that you lit many of the same fires in people you encountered all over the world, and that is your legacy. In the world of dogs, it will ensure that gone is not forgotten and that your many words of wisdom, both written and verbal will continue to be passed through the future generations as we who have benefited from knowing you, attempt to follow in your footsteps. Farewell my friend.Kim Slater

Douglas (Our Club President) will be sadly missed by all of us who new him, for all his great efforts helping to establish the breed here in the UK in the early years and most of all for being one of the nicest Gentlemen involved around the Dog world.

From all the committee of the Neapolitan Mastiff Club (UK).

Steve Cox (Club Chairman)