The history of the Rottweiler – As Fit as a Butcher’s Dog

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114 – June, 2020

By Lee Connor

Germany is quite rightly famous for its Autobahn, beer, wurst and of course its automobile industry. However, something that never quite seems to make the ‘Top Ten Things Germany is Famous For’ list, and in my opinion a contribution that is far more important (than cars, beer or sausage) for bringing joy to millions all around the world, are the numerous dog breeds that have also come from this country.

The Schnauzer, German Pointer, German Shepherd, Dachshund, Miniature Pinscher, Weimaraner, Doberman, Boxer and, of course, the Rottweiler, all hail from Germany.

This last-named breed is particularly close to my heart as I grew up with them. Alongside German Shepherds and Dachshunds, when it came to dogs my family always bought German!

My mother received many disapproving looks when she was pushing the pram (with me inside) shadowed by Kim, a well-trained and very protective German Shepherd. ‘What on earth are you thinking, having such a big dog when you have a baby?’ she was asked numerous times.

The same tuts and shaking heads also greeted my parents’ decision to buy a Rottweiler bitch back in the early 1980s. But my eminently sensible mum brought those powerful dogs up exactly like her children – with love and strict discipline – and all of us kids came through completely unscathed!

Well, that bit isn’t strictly true. The only Rottweiler ‘bite’ I ever received occurred when boisterously playing with Maisie (as a 9-week-old puppy) and she accidently caught my ear with her needle-sharp teeth. Of course, the earlobe has a rich blood supply and it predictably poured. I was ten and can vividly remember bursting into floods of tears, not because of the pain, nor the sight of the blood, but because I feared my parents would send Maisie back to her breeder.

‘Please don’t get rid of her,’ I begged. ‘It was all my fault.’

Click here to read the complete article
114 – June, 2020

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Posted by AnthonyA on Jun 28 2020. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.