Meet Biffer. It was hard to miss him lounging lazily on the pavement next to his owner, who was waiting for her coffee outside a cafe in Liverpool Road in Islington.
He is only 9 months old, so technically is still a puppy and, although you can't tell from his formidable size, his buoyant and carefree attitude was very much that of a toddler, albeit quite a large one. When I came up to say hello, he welcomed me with a happy smile on his big friendly face and then immediately lay down with all four paws in the air, asking for tummy strokes! In fact, he pawed my hand imperiously as if to say, "Come on! I don't have all day, you know!"
Biffer is a Bulldog and English Mastiff cross, and it seems he has the best features of both breeds. He has the colouring of a Mastiff, with the characteristic shading around the eyes, but the short muzzle comes from his Bulldog side, as does his stocky and compact body. Mind you, he is a puppy so may still grow, as Mastiffs are one of the largest breeds in the world.
Biffer was very happy accepting treats from me but, all off a sudden, his face lit up and he leapt towards my fruit basket. It turns out that Biffer adores strawberries even more than dog treats. I gave him a couple and he wolfed them down enthusiastically, stalks and all. He then licked his chops lusciously and, after giving it a bit of thought, extended his paw to me and gave me what could only be described as a very firm handshake. Bearing in mind that his paw was almost the same size as my arm and his big brown eyes looked at me pleadingly, I decided to feed Biffer another strawberry.
Despite his size, Biffer is very gentle, good-natured and incredibly genial. He is such a friendly and amenable dog that he made my Sunday a very sunny one indeed.
