Five Things You Didn’t Know about the Roman Cane Corso

There are many different large dog breeds in the world today. These heavy framed working dogs, have helped us humans achieve many great things over the years.  From heading sheep to protecting our families, these dogs have had many jobs. But one working dog stands out from the rest, because of their shear strength and size.  The Roman Cane Corso is one of the largest of all working breeds and one of the most highly sought after.  While many people know about these animals, today we are going to discuss five things you might have never known about the Roman Cane Corso.

1. They are the 50^th most popular dog in the United States. While this number might seem low on the list, you have to consider that there are 400 dog breeds worldwide.  So being rated 50^th is defiantly something to bark at.
2. They were once used to fight bears and even gladiators. The people of ancient Roman were surely different than our modern society, but during their time, fighting animals was acceptable. Sadly many of these dogs were a victim of this bloody sport.
3. The two great wars almost wiped out the Cane Corso. During the years of both WWI and WW2, hunting decreased to very low levels.  These dogs were often kept as hunting dogs and when people stopped participating in the sport, they no longer kept these dogs around.  Also farming began to modernize and these dogs were no longer needed to herd and protect livestock. This caused their population to dwindle to very few animals.
4. They were used to protect stagecoach drivers from highwaymen. This large breed was a deterrent to any would be thief that was hiding in the bushes. Having one or two of these large animals guarding the coach, often made passengers feel much safer.
5. They are making a comeback in the world of hunting. Many modern day boar hunters are using these dogs much like they were used hundreds of years ago.  They are deployed as catch animals and will hold the boar in place so the hunter can capture the pig.

 Image via danielle_blue at flickr.com