But I will say losing Bear took the wind out of my sails. And there was another loss right around the same time. Too be very honest, my heart just wasn’t into posting on the blog.
Anyways, back to the dogs. A young boy came into care the same day we lost Bear. I put out a call for a foster home and one showed up right away for him. Usually I would have preferred to have him in our home, but with everything going on, it wasn’t the right time or place.
Laurie took little Harley into her home and kept him till we found just the right placement for him. There were lots of people wanting to adopt him but he needed that special family that would give him everything he deserved. And they did show up. What a wonderful thing to place a young dog in a young family and know they will do everything they can to make him the best dog ever.
We were asked by a local shelter to take in a special case. We have done just that but until all the facts around this dog are settled, I won’t post about him. Suffice to say that the mystery man will be seen around pretty soon I hope.
Earlier this month we celebrated a very special day. Our little min am esk/pap cross turned 10 yrs old. Jim thought we should post about her because without her, there would be no Rottweiler Rescue.
Sashka came to us when she was about 1 ½. I knew nothing about rescue, I only knew that I wanted a dog and Jim said it had to be small. LOL. Sashka was advertised in the buy and sell. The ad said she was a lovely young dog with great manners, well socialized, good with kids, yada, yada, yada. The only reason they were looking for a home for her was allergies. Nothing could have been farther from the truth. The woman said she would bring the dog down on her next trip to the coast and we meet in a MacDonald’s parking lot. My first sight of Sash was her being dragged out of a crate that she had spent 10 hrs in with a very large Bassett hound. She was so very dirty and scared out of her mind. She cowered and shook and would not look at anyone. If I had been smart I would have turned around and walked away. But………………… I loaded her in the car and took her home.
Sashka was frightened by everything and everyone. She was of course, not housetrained at all. Traffic scared her, a leash was clearly not something she had ever experienced, and people made her run in the opposite direction. Strange dogs were even worse. Either she charged at them barking or she tried to run. The only way to comfort her seemed to be to sit and pet her. And only I could do that. She would not go to him willingly for almost 6 months.
Sashka could also not stand to be by herself for any length of time. I have the most wonderful neighbors but even they became tired of listening to her bark all day long. We tried more exercise but that didn’t seem to help. I took her to a daycare but she kept getting loose. She was just too fearful to be anywhere that I wasn’t. After talking to a dear friend, we decided to try fostering. We went to our local spca and told them we would like to help an older calm dog. I was very upfront with them about what I could and couldn’t manage. LOL
They first introduced us to a Dalmatian. That introduction didn’t go very well. LOL Both dogs charged at each other trying to kill one another. Next came a sweet older German shepherd cross. Nope, that didn’t go well either. Seems Sashka kept charging and barking and certainly not showing her best side. The shelter staff asked if they could try one more and I said sure. What did I have to loose.
Out came one of the largest and oldest Rottweiler’s I had ever seen. This was not a breed I knew anything about nor was it a breed I really wanted to learn about. I had bought into all the hype about how viscous they were and how they would turn on us one day. I was shaking my head no even before they got up to the playground. But Sash had a different idea. The barking and charging weren’t as intense. And this old boy just ignored her. She settled quickly and the shelter attendant convinced me we should put them in the same run.
While I watched closely, Sashka approached this old smelly boy, sniffed him quickly and walked away. He followed her, gave her one sniff and then went and lied down. Sashka went to him again and after a moment she licked his grey muzzle and lied down next to him.
And so began our journey. Old Man Luke was a wonderful example of a well tempered Rottweiler. He was patient, loving with those he knew, stoic, and a clown. We knew his age was 12 because he had been in so many shelters and we could trace his tattoo. While his journey with us only lasted about 18 months, he showed me what it was to be loved by a rottie.
Sashka is still my little princess. I love her to bits. And I will be forever grateful that she introduced me to this wonderful breed.
In honor of her 10th birthday we have decided that when people ask what breed she is we are going to tell people she is a “rare northern miniature longhaired bi-colored Rottweiler. Her heart is certainly big enough
