How did you first become a fan of Rotties?

[TrishB]

How did you meet your first Rottie? How did you become a Rottie fancier? I'm sure with a group like this, we've got some great stories to share! :D

16 years ago I was a kid working one of my first jobs in a boarding kennel. I was told that I'd have the responsibility of Dog Bay 3 and the runs.

I went into the runs and saw this huge...what is that?? Is it a Lab? No.... A Doberman? No.... All I knew was that there was this huge dog looking at me from the other side of the fence door.

She's snarling at me!!

No, wait, why is she 'dancing' on her butt? Her ears are back, her eyes are closed....

It took me some time to figure out that she was smiling!!! :D And doing her very best-est happy-dance-while-sitting!

I had to ask what breed she was, but from that moment I was hooked! She was the sweetest dog I had ever met. She waited patiently for me when I needed to get the loop over her big head to take her for a walk. She walked better on the leash than the other dogs did. Her manners were impeccable!!

I've been in love with the breed ever since. And now I'll FINALLY have one early this summer!!! It's been a long wait - but I KNOW they're worth waiting for!! :D :)

[MybabyZeus]

My friend and I were talked into volunteering at an animal shelter when I was about sixteen. It was a heartwrenching experience to say the least. Well this rottie had been brought in abused, dehydrated, and abandoned. He scared me to death at first, because needless to say, he wasn't in the best of moods. Well a day went by and I didn't pay him much attention because he always stared at me like he wanted me for lunch. One day I stopped and started talking to him. This poor undernourished badly beaten dog looked at me as if he was more afraid of me then I was of him. I slowly put my hand out and he licked it. I felt so bad for him that his life has gone this way. Well after another day had gone by I decided that I was going to get really brave and go into the kennel. I went in and gave him my hand again. He licked it again. Then I bent down and he came up and put his head right in my lap. That was it for me. I've had nothing but rotts every since. He went home with me. And he didn't have the best manners at first but he was my firt rottie ever.

[joquendo]

My experience was purely default.... my ex-husband told me we were getting a dog... yippppeee I was excited I loved dogs I told him I wanted a Maltese... Oh NO he said we are gettinig a rottweiler... what the heck is a rottweiler I said... I had no idea about this breed... anyhow - I was not too impressed when I saw pictures, but by sheer coinicidence a colleage had a little of rotties. I told my husband who was elated. We knew nothing about breed standards etc. He just wanted a pup... anyhow we bought him from this colleague - from day one ... he became my baby and have since adopted another 3... I LOVE them to death... they ARE my breed of choice... Yeah, I just LOVE the way they waddle their behind - my last one an 8 month old pup - has NO tail at all not even a little nob... but when she sees me or is happy her whole behind waddles so much she ends up trickling on the floor....:D - What I love most about my 4 is they all appear to be human, my male is a "talker" and every time I ask him something or stroke him, he kinda "mumbles" to me it is soooooo cute, to others they think he is growling....

Soooooo precious....:D ) :)

[rottnelmo]

It sounds like some of us have variations of the same story..."I volunteerd in a shelter..."

My story goes much the same way, but my husband had a little more influence on me.

I started volunteering as a dog walker at the Humane Society about 2 years ago to get my "dog fix". I had to give up my Siberian Husky due to where we were living (she went to a PERFECT home) and was heart broken. So I thought the best thing to do was to volunteer to help needy dogs.

My husband LOVED rotties, as he had one for 9 years, then had to have him put to sleep. He always told me that when we got our first dog together it would be a Rottie, I always told him it would be Sibe. Well, when I first started volunteering at the humane society, Eric always told me to keep an eye out for rotties.

My first true interaction with one, was a big guy named Rocko. He was huge, and exteremly playful!!! I walked at the society 2 to 3 times a week, and I would always scour the kennels to see if he was still there. Unfortunately, Rocko had to reside at the society for more than 3 weeks, because when he first went up for adoption he got a cold. So he had to recover, before he could go to a forever home. No matter what, I would always walk Rocko and spend extra time with him. He was a bit naughty when trying to put a collar on him and always loved to nip. I still grew more and more attached to him. The thing that secured me to this breed and to Rocko in general was his plan goofiness. I took him out the last day he was to be at the society (Little did I know) to go for a walk. I could find a regular leash, so I only had a 3 foot long short leash to walk him, I didnt think it would be that big of a deal, because he was so tall. Well, the minute we stepped out side into the fresh snow, I was in for the ride of my life (even with a prong collar on), he immediately hit the ground with his head, butt still in the air!!! I laughed so hard, that before I knew it, I was rolling on the ground with him...playing in the snow!!

From that point on...I was hooked!!! about 1 1/2 later, I got my Elmo...he is truly my pride and joy...no matter what anyone says about our breed, owning a wonderful guy like mine makes it all worth it!!!

Sorry this is so long guys!

Beth

[Soapie&Buddy'sMom]

By accident! I adopted Buddy, a rottweiler mix, from a shelter in January 2000. Wow, what a surprise. I barely knew what a Rottweiler was at that time. I had only had a pekingnese (in my 20's) and Soapie (chow mix) previously. I was totally unprepared for a large breed dog like a Rottweiler, even a mix. When Buddy was in the shelter, he was terrified and acted very submissive. Much like Soapie when I first got her.

But when I brought Buddy home and he got comfortable, he turned into what you would expect any untrained 9 month old puppy to be - a monster! (not really, but you can imagine.) Plus Buddy had/has fear aggression issues - having been socialized NOT AT ALL for his first 9 months (he was kept on a chain - with a choke collar so small for him that it had rubbed off some of the fur on his neck)

Anyway during one of his first vet visits he really went crazy (I thought at the time) and tried to bite the vet. She told me two things I will never forget:

"Buddy is never going to be another Soapie." and "You might consider giving him up if he is too much for you, and you should not feel ashamed about it."

What a challenge! Soon after that I found this forum and it has been a lifesaver. Now I not only know so much more about dogs, training, etc. I also have fallen completely and passionately in love with this breed. :)

[Deborah Reid]

Welll, you see there was this movie called "Omen" LOL.. yes, true true, the first rottie I ever saw was in "the movie".
My Mom and I were watching the movie together at home, and we both remarked on the dog. His expression, of intelligence and dignity, his looks. But we had no clue what breed the dog was.
I was still in high-school and so I started doing some research and discovered the breed.. Rottweiler.
It was almost 10 years later that I finally got the chance to have my first Rottweiler, but wouldn't you know it, she ended up being more my Moms dog than mine :)
Ebonwraith's Tajlorien Brie, "Taj", July 1st, 1988 to December 3, 1998.

[Trinitii]

I'm not really sure with me. I can remember loving rottweilers ever since I was a kid. Knowing what I know now things I did were stupid. I used to go and pet rottweilers in the back of peoples trucks and one time my parents friend had a whole kennel of Rottweilers and as they were talking I left and just walked into the pen with them. Thank god I never was bit. I just have always loved them :)

Trinitii

[X ROTTS X]

Hmmm....not sure. I had small dogs all my life growing up and when I finally got married and bought a house, I new I wanted a large breed dog. I researched both Rotts and German Shepards by going to local shows and meeting breeders for about a year. My wife was pregnant with my daughter so I had to take into consideration having a large dog with a baby around as well. Something just hooked me with the Rotts and have owned them for the past 11 years now.

Max (March '92 - April '01) we miss you dearly

Sammy (11 mo., 118 lbs) First place winner Beginner Obedience class, currently in Intermediate class and working towards CGC)

[frontierrots]

I saw my very first Rottweiler (and one of a very small number in the state of NH) back in 1979 walking down town in Concord.

It was as if I'd found my perfect match. However it was to be 6 more years before I'd actually own one.

[schultz]

When I was 10 my parent's neighbors at our shore house had a rottie and a lab. I used to pet/play with them whenever I saw them. Ever since then I always wanted a rottweiler. I got my wish at age 24. Hopefully, I will always have a rottie maybe 2 when I move to a larger house. All of my rotties from now on will be rescue.:)

[LisaCass]

Well, my story is recent, filled with coincidence, and not at all what I'd expected.

About a month ago a lovely longish haired Rottie girl showed up on my doorstep and stayed for three days. On the fourth day in my yard, the day I was going to officially make her mine, she disappeared. I am told her owner came for her, but since I wondered, I started combing the shelters.

Lo and behold, at the shelter I found Mac and Roxee, abandoned pups found under someone's home. I had not intended to bring another pup into the house...my Cass is barely 6 months old, and a JRT at that! Mac looks like a Rottie pup but is petite in size. The vet tells me he is 3 months old, so he is likely a mix, but has all the Rottie looks and traits.

I went every day, still looking for "Callie" and visitng with Mac who began to recognize me. I put a hold on him, and when he was available, I brought him home.

My neighbor adopted his sister, and now the two have forever homes. I am Forever hooked!

Lisa

[Dresden]

About 9 years ago, a friend who had been staying with us went back to Ohio to visit his family and friends. When he returned, he said he had a surprise for us......a dog he had known back East since she was a pup. I hadn't had a dog in years, but I had the yard, fence, and space for one, so I was pretty excited.
This poor sweet creature was about 10 years old, and her biker parents had tired of her, so she had lived the last few years in a kennel in the back yard.
When she was a pup, she had been imported from Germany for a huge sum of money back then, and the bikers had used her as a puppy mill since her second heat.
They were getting divorced, and she was going to be put down. They had made their money from her, and she was old now. :(
Our friend couldn't bear this, and drove her cross country to bring her to us. She came from Ohio to Colorado in the front seat of a beat up Camaro, eating only McDonald's hamburgers the whole way.
I had never owned a Rottie, only huskies, GSD's, and wolf crosses.
Berlin charmed us from the very beginning. She smelled very bad, but smiled at us through the car window, butt wagging in the bucket seat.
She needed a bath and nail trimming, and was immediately vet checked, and amazingly enough, although out of shape, she was healthy.
She understood several languages, had pristine house manners, and was possibly the smartest dog I have ever known. I couldn't imagine how she had wound up in a cage for the last few years.
She wasn't the *prettiest* Rottie......shaped very barrel like, and with a small delicate head, but this girl was brilliant!
She *was* rather dog aggressive, but this wasn't a problem, as we had only a few cats and snakes at the time. She took up guard duty her second day here, barking and grrrrr'ing at things that came too close to her new home and yard.
Her ears would perk up when she heard the sound of a Harley Davidson coming down the street, and it always made me sad to think that she might still be waiting for those horrible previous owners, and missing them.
Once she sneaked out of the back yard, shortly after her arrival, and, panic stricken, I ran down the alley calling her name. I found her by the sound of the "awwwww's" and "nice doggie's" through the open back door at the end of the block.
Seems old habits die hard.....she had walked into the corner bar, like she owned the place, as though to ask, "Anybody got a cold beer for an old dog?" Once a biker bitch, always a biker bitch?
She never left the house alone again though, she had decided we were hers now. She loved to go for rides, but was terrified of thunder storms. She pulled like a freight train on a leash, and never really got over that.
She lived to be 14.5 years old, and I still miss that old girl.
But the 4 we have now are kind of a tribute to her, in a strange way, as Berlin was the dog that showed me how great Rotties really are. Berlin helped me raise Dresden when she was a pup, and Berlin died a year later. Dresden still has some of Berlin's habits.

[ILoveRotts]

6 years ago I married a dog person. That was only the beginning of my ascent into Rottie heaven.

5 years ago we bought a house so hubby could get a dog (really the only reason). I wasn't thrilled but.... No yappy dogs. He had german shepards and I had a good experience with a cousin's Dobie. He worked with someone who had Rotts. We did a lot of research and visited the friend's Rotts. (I must admit - I was not impressed-dogs just didn't do it for me even though the Rotts were extremely well behaved.)

Then we rescued Rusty. I fell in love..... Then we fostered Drakey. He fell in love with me......I couldn't resist something that loved me soooo much. Now he is my heart. Then Casey came (she took a while to love-she was such a spaz but is a great girl now). By the time hubby brought Penny home (unexpected), I was totally hooked!

My friends and family laugh because I have gone so Rott crazy. I honestly know that I wouldn't have been so smitten with any other breed. :D

I will always have atleast 2 Rotts!

[Troy]

I was in college and thinking about what kind of dog I would want upon graduation...when everything would be finally right.

It was around this time that I saw the story on TV and in newspapers about Eve... the Rottweiler who pulled her owner from a burning van in Indiana. After reading the story I thought WOW. I've got to look further at the Rottweiler.

I went out and bought Muriel Freeman's book The Complete Rottweiler....the rest is history. After years of studying and researching I found a wonderful breeder and got Kamen in the Fall of '94.

I will have a Rottweiler in my life and home always.

That's our story...:)

[Judy Chrusch]

Well 20 years ago before we got our first rottie my husband saw this dog in someones yard with a BIG head and of course being a guy he wanted one like that so we did alittle research on them, not nearly enough back then but ended up with one ever since, now on our 3rd:D. Back then bigger was better not knowing then that alot were out of standard so now knowing tons more on the breed we are doing an even better job raising this one and thanks to a caring and dedicated breeder:D It's probably a breed we will always have providing they're still around:( due to all the existing problems.

Judy