ROTT N CHATTER, October 1992, Volume 1 Number3

 

                             WHERE'S THE BEEF?

 

   Carol Brown of Memphis, Tennessee, has a beef that most of us can relate

to.

   "I have a nine month old Rottie bitch.  She is beautiful, loving and has

a wonderful temperment.  I searched long and hard for a reputable breeder

who carefully planned his breedings in an earnest attempt to obtain all the

qualities we love about our breed.  Countless people have made comments to

me like, "I know those dogs are expensive, but you can make your money back

after your first litter.", or "I guess you'll be breeding her....for the

money, you know."  These people truly mean no harm.  They are my friends and

neighbors.  The task for us is to somehow educate the general public, not

only about the good qualities of the Rottweiler, but about poor breeding

practices.

   I will close with a quote that jumped out at me from Muriel Freeman's THE

COMPLETE ROTTWEILER..."

   "We have entered an era of commercialism in dogs in our country and,

unfortunately, that accompanied by the age of world-wide violence, make the

sturdy Rottweiler most attractive for some very questionable reasons.  The

devastation caused by war, pestilence and drought can be withstood, because

the better specimens survive those ordeals.  However, inevitably, the

destruction of a breed is accomplished when unknowledgeble people persist in

contaminating the gene pool with unsuitable matings.  Rottweilers in America

are a somewhat endangerd species.  Generally speaking and without going into

detail, exploitation is the most serious problem facing our breed..."

 

(Editor's note:  THE COMPLETE ROTTWEILER by Muriel Freeman should be the

first book that every Rottweiler owner or potential owner should read and

study.  Mrs. Freeman is considered by many to be the most noted authority of

the breed in America.)