Meet Frito

Frito's Story

Ah, Frito. The Frito Man. The dog who made sure I will forever have a scar on my backside.

Frito is a four-year-old Tibetan Mastiff, and if you’ve been following me for a while, you know I’m obsessed with this breed. They are my absolute favorite. When we first started The Traveling Menagerie, we had two Tibetan Mastiffs, but heartbreakingly, they’ve passed on. So, when I saw a post about Frito, I knew I had to step in.

Frito’s story starts with a priest—yes, a priest—who abandoned him because he didn’t think he was “well-bred” enough. Turns out, he wasn’t wrong. Frito is confirmationally incorrect and has a bit too much jealousy, which he shouldn’t. But abandoning him to a kennel? That’s probably the worst thing you can do to a Tibetan Mastiff. These dogs are meant to be free-roaming guardians, not locked up in a tiny space. When you do that, they shut down and can become aggressive. That’s exactly what happened to Frito.

When I first saw him, he looked exactly like my heart dog, Oom Canon, and I knew we had the experience needed to help him. But let me tell you—Frito has not made it easy. He can be incredibly friendly, but he’s also deeply insecure from all the changes in his life. He doesn’t handle transitions well (which is a bit of a problem, given how chaotic things can be here).

When he first arrived, I wasn’t his favorite person. He was living with Travis since I had cats in my room (Frito is not cat-safe), and he clearly prefers men. Then I made the mistake. I got too close to his food bowl. And let me tell you—Frito did not hesitate. He took a chunk out of my butt. A literal piece of my flesh. Now, I have a forever reminder of the time I crossed the line with Frito.

That said, he’s made so much progress. Travis has been away, which has given me more time to bond with him, and we’ve started training. He now knows how to sit, how to leave food in a closed fist and take from an open one, and today we started learning the touch command. It’s slow work, but we’re getting there.

Tibetan Mastiffs are not an easy breed—especially if they haven’t been socialized well from puppyhood. They’re protective, incredibly smart, and they never forget. Seriously, they hold grudges like an elephant. If you make a Tibetan Mastiff mad, you will never be forgiven. So, I’ve had to work really hard to repair my relationship with Frito, and I think we’re finally making progress.

He will be a forever sanctuary dog here—not just because of his bite history, but because he’s not a breed that can be rehomed easily. He’s difficult. He’s stubborn. And in my opinion, he’s absolutely wonderful.

As for his name? His original papers said Freddie Mercury (nope). We tried switching it to Freddo (which means cold in Italian), but somehow it just turned into Frito. And honestly? It fits. He’s crunchy, salty, and definitely leaves a mark.