Molosser Moment #4
There probably has never been a figure in Mastiffs – even in dogs – more controversial than Tobin Jackson. Operating out of a mysterious compound in Frenchtown, N.J., Jackson garnered his fair share of criticism, including persistent accusations that to introduce soundness to the breed, he outcrossed to Great Danes and St. Bernards – debates that reverberate even today.
One thing that is undisputed is Jackson’s indelible impact on the Mastiff worldwide. Phenomenally successful in the show ring and unparalleled in terms of the sheer numbers of dogs produced, his Deer Run line now stands behind the vast majority of the world’s Mastiffs – some experts put the number as high as 99 percent. On that 11-acre property surrounded by Amish farmland, Jackson created a hotbed of Mastiff breeding, producing some of the breed’s most influential sires, including Ch. Deer Run’s Wycliff (pictured with Jackson), the most prolific ever.