At a time when the Rottweiler is receiving continuing bad press, it is essential that Rottweiler owners DO something to raise positive awareness of our breed in the eyes of the public..The reputation of the breed is in the hands of humans who choose to own them and breeders who have the onerous responsibilty for placement of puppies with potential owners.
Sharing Success Stories
This is a sharing of what we do in our local community to raise the profile of the breed and a summary of some of the achievements of Rottweilers bred and/or owned by us. I'm sure there are others who could share success stories of how they contribute positively to the image of the Rottweiler. After all it is the dogs doing the 'nitty gritty' of living in a human society who are, for better or worse, the focus of the general public's attention.
What We Do Locally
Living in a small community on the far south coast of NSW we welcome opportunities to participate in local events with our dogs. We regular walk them in shopping centres and amongst people, and in street parades and processions, sometimes in costume too, which seems to remove some of the fear aspect. We've participated in fun demos at the Nursing Home, played Fly Ball and provided Rottweilers for the public to meet in a "hands on" situation at Pet Information days. We approach our local newspaper with a photo and/or article- we are always given space GOOD PRESS! Our dogs have been to school for "Show and Tell' and preformed creditably for Primary school handlers. These are ordinary pursuits in which any responsible owner and Rottie can participate.
Hugo In Church (Lorpete Lord Mumtaz)
Memorable moments have been shared with 8 year old Hugo who has his CD and ended a show career suddenly at 93 CH points after a car accident. More importantly. Hugo is a great diplomat and ambassador for the breed. He participated in a suitably reverent manner in our Parish Blessing of the Pets Ceremony. To the delight of the congregation, he who was the biggest pet by far was befriended by the smallest human present - a 3 year old who lavished her affections on Hugo for the entire hour. He patiently and obediently allowed himself to be led by her to receive his Blessing. His gentle approach to this child won over many critics.
Hugo is quite fond of the limelight now.
He calmly and confidently strutted his stuff on the catwalk at a Fashion Parade with all the haughty aplomb of a true pro. The crowd, the lights, the music. the general excitement, and the applause were all taken in his stride!
Life Saving ? (Ashona Von Ardina)
How do you explain to an over zealous Rottie, Jessie Sen.,doing self initiated life saver duty that kids playing safety on surf mats do not need or want to be towed to shore? Surf mats weren't made to withstand a Rottweiler's teeth!
Police Dog ! (Kameraden Hella)
We are especially proud of Tia. who is the second only Rottweiler in the NSW Police Dog Squad. She is contributing in a very public way to raising the profile of the breed.
Guide Dog ! (Unofficial) (Kameraden Gamba)
Another pride and joy is Grip (named after Charles Dickens pet crow) who shares life enthusiastically with her blind owner. Her only training is basic obedience but her intuitive behaviour is truly remarkable. She gets lots of fun, love and play, but switches off to all that at the mere whisper of the word walk .This signals the fetching of collar and lead from the drawer and the all important white cane. She is a familiar sight around her home town walking with Mark, giving him confidence, companionship and pleasure. She is very people friendly, but the special relationship she reserves for Mark is a privilege to observe.
Grip gives 100% attention to the task of accompanying Mark everywhere. An accomplished musician, he takes Grip to his recording studio, where she sings' and barks into the microphone, chases the reverberations around the room. before repeating the performance. Wearing headphones is not a problem, it completes the professional image! Mark keeps a diary of the fun times he and Grip share and will one day write a book about their adventures together.
Train Commuter
Jessie Jnr, is a frequent Melbourne train commuter and behaves creditably in a crowd.
An Aboriginal Perspective (Kameraden Freia)
Freia, a Sydneysider, is portrayed in a traditional Aboriginal painting. She was painted by well known Arnhemland artist Thompson Yulidjirri whose work was featured in March '95 Reader's Digest. He depicts the Rottweiler and her owner Cathy, daughter of the author, dreaming of hunting together.
Trikes and Eaves !!! (Kameraden Finn)
Of course there is always a comedian er sorry - straight out exhibitionist - in every family. Every self respecting Rottie can retrieve a ball or 2 or 3 or more. Nothing so mundane for Finn, but something original like a trike - now that's his style! Finn has such a penchant for large wheeled objects, he has his own trike which he enthusiastically retrieves from many far flung places! That way the neighbourhood kids get to play with their own bikes! However if you insist on being conventional and throw a ball, make sure it provides a decent challenge. At least as high as the roof! Now if the eaves get in the way (again) as Finn goes up for a mark (catch) it's not his fault is it? Yes the eaves have been smashed twice by Finn's head!
Impressive???
Some may feel these achievements lack the impressive impact of trophies, sashes, medallions, but 1 don't believe all the Championships in the world will change the public image of the Rottweiler one iota. Human society is fast becoming increasingly negative in their attitude to dogs generally and to Rottweilers in particular. We believe it is Rottweilers like those described here, doing the job they do best, filling the role of being Man's Best Friend that have the potential to change public opinion.
HD versus Character
I am reminded of the words of Dr Malcolm Willis :-
"You do not have to rank HD first. Indeed I would rank character and type above HD....... "
Before I am misinterpreted, I am not downplaying the importance of HD status, I am simply saying it is not mediahype about HD that causes phone polls to be run on banning dangerous dogs. It is the actions of poor examples of the breed in terms of character and temperament, usually worsened by poor human ownership, that are publicised by the media. These dogs may ultimately be the cause of Rottweilers being officially cited as dangerous dogs and importation banned, with breeding and ownership restricted to the extent it is no longer viable or enjoyable.
1 feel sure there are many other 'Quiet Achievers' who are contributing positively to enhancing the role of Rottweilers in human society. We need to share ideas for promoting our breed in a positive and importantly PUBLIC way.
Kameraden Rottweilers, Pambula. NSW. Australia.
Share Your Success Stories