[Tia Maria]

To all those who really know this breed:

This is the first time I have used this forum but I've been reading alot of the postings and I love this site. We have a beautiful 17 month old girl named Tia Maria who is the love of our life. She is one of the family.

My husband and I are having problems with his family about owning a Rottweiler. From the moment that we told them that we were planning on getting a Rotti, we've heard nothing but negative, negative, negative. They all have stories to tell us about the vicious Rotties that they've "heard about" who've attacked and mauled children etc. I'm sure you've all heard the same from people who tend to listen to media and the stigma that can follow this breed. :(

Well, this Christmas was the LAST straw for us. We took Tia with us when we went to see his family (a 4 hour drive) and it became very clear that she was not welcome in any of their homes (one of his sisters was fair to let us know ahead of time). We ended up driving even further to stay at their summer home b/c nobody would be there to be bothered by Tia. Needless to say, we cut out trip short and came home early. This upset us b/c we are really tired of hearing the worst possible things about the breed and believe me, we did our homework before we got Tia. We knew exactly what we were getting into. We have no regrets and we wouldn't trade her in for the world.

My husband and I are expecting a baby in 6 months (our first) and part of the negatives that we have had to deal with from the family is about how dangerous Tia will be to our baby. I am well aware of her strength, both physically and mentally and I would never put my baby at risk. We intend to include her as much as possible so as not to have her feel left out. My love for animals is totally separate from my love for my baby. I will not ignore Tia when the baby arrives. Whenever we talk to Rotti owners around our neighbourhood, they have always said "what great family dogs Rottweilers are". I had one as a child and I know this to be true.

Could you please send us some advice and personal experiences to share with his family to set the record straight? We'd really appreciate hearing from people with children (and especially from those who introduced a new baby to their dog). Thank you, thank you, thank you. Sorry to be soooo wordy! We look forward to the information.