by Bob Davidson
I never knew my life would be changed in so many ways. Having never owned dogs,
and having seen so many that were hyper and misbehaved, I always preferred cats.
Cats are quiet and unobtrusive and normally not too demanding. They don't wreck
the house or the yard and can be left alone for long periods. Why would anyone
want a dog?
Then I saw my first Rottweiler! What a magnificent animal! As they grew in popularity and I saw more and more of them, I toyed with the idea of acquiring one. It would take a large commitment of time and would be expensive, but I thought it wouldn't be all that bad, the dog would stay outside and guard the place, and I wouldn't really have to do too much (boy was I naive.) So the decision was made to buy a Rottweiler puppy. We selected one, bought him, and brought him home. I had read a book on the breed which said that a Rott was a family dog that should be treated like any other member of the family and kept inside where he could remain at his master’s side. I ignored the advice, bought a doghouse, and 'Brutus' was appointed to guard the property! I cold-heartedly ignored his cries the first night and even the second night, no matter how tough it was. I knew that he would eventually get used to sleeping outside by himself and the problem would be solved. This was to be my first 'Rott-taught' lesson.
Rott-taught lesson #1: These dogs are the perfect companion. They will remain by your side at all times and will do whatever they need to do to stay there, even if it means crying all night for weeks!
Finally I gave in to Brutus’ cries, and eventually was forced to modify my position on the 'outside dog.' Brutus was allowed inside and remained so forever. He loved to go out when I was out and he loved to sit outside as long as he knew that he could come in when he wanted to. I had worried about the chore of 'house-training' him, but it was never a problem. He never made a mess on the floor and automatically knew what was expected of him in that regard.
Rott-taught lesson #2: These are intelligent creatures. They are quick to learn as long as their master finds teaching methods that avoid 'forcing' the dog to do things. Normally, a way can be found which makes learning fun, and under those circumstances, all learning is quickly accomplished.
I have long been a student of Eastern philosophies and have studied with some of the masters of our time. I always felt a little dense, as the lessons, while easily learned at an intellectual level, were often difficult to apply and integrate into my life (snatch the pebble from my hand - Grasshopper...) If the idea of 'learning from a dog' had been suggested to me, I'm sure I would have immediately dismissed it as so much rubbish but as the weeks passed and Brutus grew in both size and in personality he began to teach me more than I was teaching him! The next few Rott-taught lessons are life lessons taught to me by the great German Zen master - Brutus!
Rott-taught lesson #3: Life is to be enjoyed! Never was there a creature on this earth who more illustrated this lesson than Brutus. There was a time for duty, but as long as there were no threats on his property (which of course included me), then it was time to enjoy life, and this was done with total abandon. To be able to look at each moment as a gift and to extract from it every ounce of enjoyment, that was the lesson. A second lesson was to learn live in the moment. So often my day can be ruined as plans go awry and things do not conform to my wishes. Flexibility is the key here and Brutus taught me that even when things change, if I can drop my expectations and go with the flow, things will often progress much more smoothly.
Rott-taught lesson #4: I never met a dog I didn't like. Will Rogers would have loved this dog! It was always a joy to observe Brutus' behavior when he encountered another dog. It didn't matter what size the dog was or what attitude it brought to the party, Brutus loved company. After the required sniffing and posturing it was time to play. Often the other dog wanted to deal with property rights or some other issue but Brutus usually managed to convince him that play was the issue at hand and away they would go, running, jumping and playing with an exuberance only enjoyed by nature's freer creatures. Because he was such a large dog and Florida is such a hot place, it never took long before Brutus was worn out and looking for water, but again it never took him long to recover and search out his next playmate. I truly think that if humans would spend more time enjoying themselves and less time worrying, trying to out-maneuver each other, complaining, or some other ego game, the world would be a better place.
Rott-taught lesson #5: Life is about love. The unconditional love which I feel from my Rottweiler when looking into his big brown eyes is incomparable to anything I have ever experienced. As long as they are treated with respect they will love you without limit. I have learned more about love from these dogs than from all other sources. It's communicated non-verbally so strongly that it is difficult to miss. If only humans could learn to love each other which such ease.
I could list a dozen other major lessons learned from Brutus related to his sense of loyalty, duty, enthusiasm, and several other topics. During the first two years of his life, as he grew into his role and his bearish body, I also grew into my role as his master and his friend. And then we got the news. We were informed by our veterinarian that Brutus had a very aggressive form of bone cancer. Within a few weeks, he was gone. He died in our arms at 4 AM on May 5th 1995. This was indeed the saddest event in either of our lives. Never have I lost a friend I was so close to.
After two weeks of grieving it became clear that I must get another dog. I was advised that my new dog should be as different from Brutus as possible, preferably a female, so that we would not be tempted to constantly compare the new dog to Brutus. I called around and found that the local pound (referred to here as 'Animal Control' - a name I found quite appropriate after dealing with the bureaucracy there), had a Rottweiler female. I visited there and took her out on a leash. I marveled at how unqualified I felt when it came to assessing the health and overall condition of the dog, but I immediately bonded with her and could feel that love coming from her. I was told that she had been abandoned by her former owner who had moved out of his house in the middle of the night and left her behind, but was given little other information. She was seriously underweight but otherwise looked pretty good. I called a friend who has raised Rotts for years and had her look at the dog with me. She said that even though the dog had been seriously neglected there seemed to be no major problems but she was uncertain of this dog's nature. The dog had scars from prior abuse and after being abandoned could be difficult to deal with. Even though I felt unqualified when dealing with issues like potential hip problems I did feel very comfortable with the dog's nature and could feel that her nature was that of sweetness.
I decided to adopt her and was told to pay my money and pick her up the next day after she went to the vet for a checkup and neutering. The next morning, I received a call and was told that she had tested positive for heartworms. For those who aren't familiar with this parasite, these worms, transmitted by mosquitoes, grow in the heart of a dog into what looks like a wad of spaghetti, eventually killing the animal. I was advised against adopting the dog by Animal Control and told that she would be routinely euthanized. I could not stand the thought of such an action without at least some further investigation into heartworm treatment. I made some calls to people involved in Rottweiler rescue and found that while the treatment is expensive and physically very hard on the dog, most dogs do live through the treatment, even though there is usually a loss of lung tissue due to scarring as pieces of the dead worms migrate there after they break up.
I called animal control to tell them I would take the dog anyway and was informed that she would have to be neutered first. I asked if this was advisable given that she would have to be treated for heartworms but I was told that all animals must be neutered before they left the facility regardless of their condition and was told again that they recommended that the animal be destroyed instead of undertaking the expense and problems associated with heartworm treatment. At this point, I decided that face to face communication would be preferred, and drove to the facility to speak to the director of animal control. As I have so often found in government agencies, the 'rules are rules' philosophy was in effect. I was told that the only one who could override the rules was the local vet, whom I had never met - but I was about to! To make a long story just a bit shorter, I was given a written letter by the vet which I took to Animal Control. There I paid my money and picked up my new dog, a bit bedraggled, but happy to have been 'sprung', and I were out the door on our way to new adventures.
I watched with great excitement during Lisa's first year with me as I saw her evolve from a sad case dog, who didn't even know how to walk on grass or chase a rabbit, into a beautiful specimen, full of energy and vitality, and of course, love. She was a little dog aggressive (little may be an understatement since she managed to bite several dogs in her obedience training class) to begin with but has progressed well since then. She has learned how to be a dog and has become an integral part of the family. She spends all her time by my side where she belongs and has finally learned how to play. The dog rescue experience was well worth the trouble and I would highly recommend it to anyone who knows his way around dogs. In this way I was able to save a dog who would have otherwise been lost, something that made me feel that Brutus’ death was not totally wasted.
While there will never be another Brutus, I feel confident that there will always be a Rottweiler in my home, they are the perfect breed for me. Quiet and seldom hyper, wonderful companions, well mannered, intelligent, and overflowing with enthusiasm, who could ask for more?
Bob Davidson, in memory of my loving dog Brutus, 6/96
Update, 4/97: Well, I just had to do it! Last fall, I rescued another of these wonderful creatures. I heard of a male Rottweiler puppy, 7 months old, who had been taken away from negligent owners by the sheriff department in Miami and needed a new home. I knew that as comfortable as Lisa was, this might case some problems but I also knew that I wanted a male Rottweiler and thought that this opportunity to save one might be just the ticket. Lisa and I drove down, picked him up, and brought him home, not knowing what kinds of adventures were ahead.
Zeus was quite a boy, sweet and loving, very good looking, and apparently in good health. I bought him a large crate, and was amazed at how quickly he adopted it as 'his home'. On the advice of the man who ran the rescue agency, I kept him away from Lisa as best I could for the first two weeks. By that time it should have been clear to both of them that he was not going to be a huge threat to Lisa and I hoped they would get along well from that point forward. Unfortunately, that was wishful thinking. About a month later while I was away at an orchid show, he and Lisa got into a skirmish and she was forced to show him that she was still top dog. My wife was able to separate them, but not until Lisa had bitten him pretty badly on the face. The next day he had big knots on his face nearly as large as walnuts, but from that point forward, when Lisa told him she had had enough, he listened!
Where to?
If you have comments or suggestions, email me at bob@cardcity.com
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Last modified 04/05/2003