Crossword Genius

Dog is mother’s pet? (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

mastiff

'dog' is the definition.
(mastiff is a kind of dog)

'mother's pet?' is the wordplay.
'mother's' becomes 'mas' (ma is a kind of mother).
'pet?' becomes 'tiff' (I've seen this before).
'mas'+'tiff'='MASTIFF'

'is' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for mastiff that I've seen before include "Powerful breed of watchdog" , "Strong breed of dog" , "Big dog" , "one of his best friends?" , "Powerful, smooth-coated dog used for security work" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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