Mastalaya about us.

This is the story about the origin of our kennel name.
We live on the tropical coast of Granada, in a small Andalusian village very close to the beach.
Situated here is an ancient tower called an Atalaya which was constructed by the muslim conquerers who inhabited the province of Granada many hundreds of years ago.
The Atalayas are tall towers made of stone which the Arabic centurians used to guard and were also the means of communication between the troops of each tower along the Spanish coastline. From the very top of these high masonry structures they could detect the arrival of oncoming enemy ships which neared the Spanish coast.
Atalaya is an arabic word meaning “watch tower”.
The Spanish mastin, (also known in some countries around the world as the Spanish Mastiff) have a historical background which goes back not hundreds, but thousands of years. The breed worked as watchdogs over the herds of sheep that travelled in the long hard journeys of the trashumancia. Accompanying herds from one extreme of the country to the other, guarding, defending and putting their own lives in danger, confronting wolves, bears and other predatores. This fabulous breed also vigilated from the highest places similiar to the guards of the Atalayas.
We wanted to select a name that would highlight the historical impact of the arabic essence so implanted in our beautiful provence of Granada and the cultural importance of the Spanish Mastin which is also embedded in this great country “España” where we live. Combining at the same time part of the word mastin.
Two words resulting in fusion was the answer...
Mast ( from mastin ) and Talaya (from Atalaya )
The perfect name for our kennel …
“Mastalaya”
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We are a young family and we made our first contact with the Spanish Mastin in 1996. It has turned into a passion that has impacted our lives and will do so for many years to come. Now that we have all become so involved, we are constantly gaining knowledge about the breed, this information we collect ,is something which we wish to share with others. I would like to mention our only daughter Natalie who is currently 8 years old, who is a pure “mastinera” with all of her little heart. We are very proud watching her learn and grow each day alongside these noble wonderful animals that form a part of our family. She deserves to be mentioned because she also plays a very big piece of this hobby that has united us very closely as a family.
The intention we have of introducing ourselves to this world is to add our little grain of salt, contributing towards this breed something positive with the breeding schemes that we intend to carry out in the future.
In conclusion, we would like to give our warmest thanks to all of the people that have helped us and that continue to help us in the future with this marvellous and incredible breed,
“THE SPANISH MASTIN”.
Many thanks
Jose, Natalie and Tracey.
“ MASTALAYA”