On Sunday, 13 September 2026, we visited the summer festival of Verein der Hundefreunde Idar e.V. at the Wäschertskaulen club grounds in Idar-Oberstein with Holly and her daughter Miss Marple.
Holly will be nine years old in November. That made it all the more lovely for us to see her spending the entire day right in the middle of everything together with Miss Marple.
Around 60 participants and visitors attended over the course of the day. Alongside various games for people and dogs, there were also demonstrations on the programme. For us, however, the festival became above all a wonderful opportunity for many personal encounters – and, along the way, a chance to introduce more people to the English Mastiff.
Around 60 participants and visitors came together for the summer festival at the Wäschertskaulen club grounds.
We arrived just before an obedience demonstration began. Exercises such as sit, down and stay were being shown on the training field. The agility group had already given its own demonstration before we arrived.
Two Mastiffs attract plenty of attention
Our arrival caused a small moment of surprise right from the start.
We had registered for the summer festival through members of the club whom we know personally. For most of the other participants, however, both we and our dogs were still unfamiliar.
When we came around the hedge and suddenly appeared on the club grounds with two fully grown English Mastiffs, the wide-eyed looks were hard to miss.
Holly and Miss Marple also attracted some attention from the dogs already there. Our two simply took in their new surroundings at their own pace and were not unsettled by the unfamiliar environment.
Completely at ease in the middle of everything happening around the club grounds.
The ice was broken within minutes
Less than five minutes after we arrived, a young girl came over to us all by herself. Still a little cautious at first, she asked whether she could stroke Holly and Miss Marple – and immediately had plenty more questions.
Of course she could.
In truth, the ice had already been broken in that very moment.
A child who had never met them before was suddenly standing quite naturally beside two completely unfamiliar Mastiffs, asking questions and stroking the dogs. Shortly afterwards, two more children joined her, and as the day went on more and more visitors came closer or wanted to learn something about the two.
And the first girl? She came back to see Holly and Miss Marple about five more times during the day.
The adults quickly became curious too. One of the first questions, naturally, was how much a dog of this size actually weighs.
The children, on the other hand, had another question at the top of their list:
“Is that the biggest dog breed in the world?”
Not quite. But the English Mastiff is one of the heaviest dog breeds in the world.
These are exactly the kinds of encounters we particularly enjoy. A Mastiff is impressive simply because of its appearance. Spend a little more time with one, however, and you quickly discover the quieter side of the breed as well.
Impressive in size – and completely at ease in the middle of the summer festival.
A quiet moment in the middle of a lively day at the summer festival.
Games for two- and four-legged visitors
Of course, the summer festival was not just about watching.
There were various games for people and dogs in which teams could collect points together. We particularly liked the idea that dogs could even earn bonus points for creative solutions.
So not everything had to work exactly the way it was originally intended. The final number of points determined which prize category each team could choose from later on.
Holly tried her paw at an obstacle course, among other things, and demonstrated that a Mastiff can approach a task very much in her own way.
Holly on the obstacle course – creative solutions could even earn extra points during the games.
Holly at another game station – taking on the challenge entirely at her own pace.
In the end, neither team went home empty-handed: Team Miss Marple received a voucher from ZOO & Co., while Team Holly won a new toy.
Team Holly went home with a new toy – apparently not a bad choice at all.
When respect turns into curiosity
We were particularly pleased by feedback from members of the organising team at Verein der Hundefreunde Idar e.V.
They told us how pleased they were that we had brought Holly and Miss Marple along and that, simply by being there, the two dogs had helped to reduce some of the apprehension people can feel around very large dogs.
That was something we could watch happening throughout the day: wide-eyed looks became curious glances, cautious distance turned into questions – and those questions led to personal encounters and plenty of gentle strokes.
Holly and Miss Marple at the Wäschertskaulen club grounds – two impressive but very relaxed guests.
Lots of unfamiliar people, other dogs, new smells and a completely new environment were simply part of the day. That made it especially lovely to see how naturally both dogs moved through the situation.
For us, experiences like these matter. A well-balanced temperament is not something that only shows itself at home or in familiar surroundings. It also becomes visible when a dog is faced with something new.
Our Mastiffs do not simply live alongside our everyday lives, but right in the middle of them. The same applies to our adult dogs as it does to the way we raise our puppies.
Mother and daughter: Holly and Miss Marple together at the summer festival in Idar-Oberstein.
Our conclusion after the summer festival in Idar-Oberstein
Even the weather was on our side. The sky remained mostly overcast, but the rain apparently decided to wait politely until the event was over.
So in the end, it was a truly lovely day at the Wäschertskaulen club grounds – filled with games, conversations, new encounters and two Mastiffs who, quite naturally, helped show people the breed as we experience it ourselves.
Many thanks to Verein der Hundefreunde Idar e.V. for the lovely summer festival and the warm, welcoming atmosphere.
We felt very much at home – and Holly and Miss Marple clearly did too.
Time to head home – Holly and Miss Marple after a long and eventful day.
Would you like to get to know our Mastiffs?
Holly and Miss Marple are two very different personalities. On our website, you can get to know not only the two of them but also the other Mastiffs at From the Celtic Mountain and learn more about their temperament, health and individual stories.
- Meet our English Mastiffs
- Learn more about Holly
- Learn more about Miss Marple
- Puppies & Litter Planning
Are you interested in the English Mastiff, our breeding programme or a future litter? We would be delighted to hear from you.