Celtics Mastiffs Home

Celtics Mastiffs Photo Gallery

Image Portfolio

Available to view in Flash Enabled Web Browsers

Our History

Celtic Mastiffs began nearly three decades ago with Stephen and Robin O'Connor, Larie and Suzie Mears. Stephen once said "If you don't breed your Mastiff for temperament, you've caused a tragic problem! If you don't breed your Mastiff for health, you have broken someone's heart! If you don't breed your Mastiff for type, you are not breeding Mastiffs!"

This legacy continues today with Lori and Harold "Geoff" Geoffrey. Lori serves as Secretary of the West Volusia Kennel Club in Deland Florida and was previously a board member as well. Geoff is a National AKC Delegate representing  the West Volusia Kennel Club as well serving on Various Committees and Events. Their heart felt passion is to raise healthy family members which model the AKC Mastiff standard. We breed Mastiffs subscribing to the research, guidelines, and methodology propounded by Dr. Carmen Battaglia (Breeding Better Dogs)

 All too often today we see breeders or puppy-mills churn out litter after litter with no regard for the breed and more importantly the Mastiff. We don't breed Mastiffs, and as stated above we raise family members. We know the attachments' of owning an English Mastiff and we do not take that responsibility of preparing your new family member lightly. We cannot emphasize enough that this is not a business, we truly care about our Mastiffs. We do not have a kennel, our family members live in the house with us, heck they even sleep with us upon occasion. We do not keep them in crates and limit their activity so they will gain weight, we let them play and interact with other family members and friends. It is not uncommon to see them with us strutting down main street or in the local Lowes or an outside Cafe with us.

While we understand the importance of showing, it is not our priority to show. Our main goal is to further the English Mastiff standard in a responsible and loving fashion. In doing so many professional judges have recognized our passion and as a result Celtics Mastiffs have many Best of Breed, Group, Westminster invitations (see footnote) awards in their noble history.

English Mastiff Breed History

One of the biggest dogs recognized by the American Kennel Club, the massive Mastiff loves being around people and is known to bond closely with his family. A combination of grandeur and good nature as well as courage and docility, he was bred in England and used as a watchdog for more than two thousand years. The breeds short coat can be fawn, apricot or brindle.

As early as 3000 B.C., drawings on Egyptian monuments depict typical Mastiffs. Later, even Caesar noticed the fearless, strong Mastiff as it fought alongside British soldiers in 55  B.C.  Impressed by the breed's courage, he brought a group of them back to Rome and forced them to take part in bull baiting, lion fighting and fights with human gladiators. Later, the Mastiff became popular with the peasants in England, where the dogs were used as wolves and other dangerous predators under control as well as to protect the home.

Today the Mastiff is a powerful yet gentle and loyal companion, but because of his size and need for space, he is best suited for country or suburban life. The breed requires light exercise and minimal grooming.

Mastiffs are giant breed dogs and eat more, therefore food cost will be higher. Veterinarian costs will be costly as well due to their size.

Information on this section was obtained by AKC site MEET THE BREED.

Why choose a Celtics Mastiff

We take what we do very seriously. Celtics have produced some of the top Mastiffs in this country. We study carefully the genealogy  of all dogs/bitches being bred. Our puppies all come with a health guarantee. In the unlikely event you purchase a puppy that inherits something causing health problems we will replace that puppy in our next breeding. If you have become attached and wish to keep the puppy, that's OK you can keep the puppy and we will still honor our commitment in replacing with a new puppy.

When you purchase a puppy from us you become family.  We will be there for you for a lifetime. We encourage you to call us for advice and/or suggestions anytime. Whether it comes to diet, medical emergencies, training , showing, or just to chat about the progress and cute things your pup does throughout his life in your home. We are not going anywhere! 

Showing & Confirmation

Showing dogs is a great sport where the thrill of competition is combined with the joy of seeing beautiful dogs. The sole purpose of dog shows is to evaluate breeding stock.

There are three types of conformation dog shows:

All Breed Shows (offers competitions for over 150 breeds and varieties of dogs recognized by AKC) All breed shows are the type often shown on television.

Specialty Shows (restricted to dogs of a specific breed or to varieties of one breed)

Group Shows ( are limited to dogs belonging to one of the seven groups)

To be eligible to complete a dog must:

Be individually registered with the American Kennel Club

Be 6 months of age or older

Be a breed for which classes are offered at a show

Meet any eligibility requirements in the written standard of the breed

Spayed or neutered dogs are not eligible to compete in conformation classes at a dog show, because the purpose of a dog show is to evaluate breeding stock.

The role of the Judge is to examine the dogs, then give awards according to the judge's mental image of the "perfect" dog described in the breed's official standard.  The standard describes the characteristics that allow the breed to perform the function for which it was bred. These standards include specifications for structure, temperament and movement. The official written standard for your breed may be found on the AKC page on the internet. The judges are experts on the breeds they are judging. They examine each dog with their  hands to see if the teeth. muscles, bones, and coat texture conform to the breed's standard. They view each dog in profile for overall balance, and watch each dog gait to see how all those features fit together in action.

Most dogs in competition at a conformation show are competing for points towards their AKC championships. It takes two majors (wins of three, four, or five points) awarded by at least two different judges, to become an American Kennel Club "Champion of Records." The number of championship points awarded at a dog show depends on the number males (dogs) and females (bitches) of the breed in competition. The larger the entry , the greater the number of points a male or female can win. The maximum number of points awarded to a dog at any show is 5 points.   

This section is compiled of information from Conformation Class booklet from Mark and Cathy Driggers. The information here is basic. For more detailed information on showing please contact us.

Pulling & Carting

We have recently started doing draft work with our dogs to preserve the working abilities and to prove to ourselves that our breeding programs are indeed producing WORKING DOGS! Mastiffs love to work and enjoy having a job to do. In the near future we hope to start a training facility and eventually partner with clubs for pulling and carting competitions at AKC events.