Although Paldea is famous for its many breeds of canine pokemon, Maschiff is little known outside its home region, overshadowed as it is by the delicious Fidough and the spooky Greavard. It struggles, unlike its evolution, in the niche of a tough, serious guard dog, but finds it hard to compete with both local and international breeds on cuteness alone.
What Maschiff does has going for it is its bite – a chomp rivaling that of Totodile, and stronger than even a Granbull's crunch. These pokemon originated as wild 'bandit dogs', at times quarreling with and at times befriending human bandits; they were a feral population who secured a food supply partially by intimidation, but mostly by never letting go once they bit down. There is no denying that a Maschiff bite can kill a child or seriously wound an adult, but in a world with so many more dangerous creatures around, they seldom actually do. Still, the usual warning applies about being careful around pokemon one doesn't know, especially should they show signs of aggression.
One should note that giving this warning regarding unevolved pokemon species commonly kept as pets, such as Snubbull and Shinx is entirely unnecessary; humans correctly recognize them as dangerous. Maschiff's scowl, by comparison, often comes across as comical, and their potential for humor was not lost on cartoonists. When these pokemon are recognized outside of Paldea (especially by older generations), it is most commonly because of Mischief the Maschiff, an important character from the early history of animation whose bite was worse than his bark.