"I've been doing some thinking and I think I want to buy another Rottweiler, "...a pause as she catches her breath. She seems nervous and possibly even a little scared. "We don't know any breeders I would trust. We bought a female puppy about a year ago...paid fifteen hundred dollars for her. We really loved her. She was so good around the kids..." She pauses again and begins to cry. "Her hips were so bad we had to have her put to sleep." She continues to cry. The conversation stops for a few seconds. I can tell she's looking for relief. I begin what is the third such conversation of this day, the first one involving hips. The other two involved bad temperaments. The end results were the same...all three dogs were put to sleep.

I begin what I sincerely hope any responsible breeder would do and try to help her. "Have you contacted the breeder of your puppy about your problem?" I inquired.

"Yes, she told me that that's one of the chances you take when you buy a puppy."

"I see...so you bought a puppy for fifteen hundred dollars and received no contract, no guarantee, nothing."

"Yes. But she seemed so nice. And little 'Lacey' was such a special puppy. She gave us so much love." She stopped. Now she's really crying. "The kids loved her so much. God, it was so sad..."

"I'm really sorry. I know the feelings you're experiencing. Believe me, I know. I know only too well. I had my first Rottweiler in 1971. Back then there were only four ads in Dog World. The breeder was a feisty old guy. He made us get letters from our vet...and my parents. I was a senior in high school, mowed lawns all summer for that dog. I didn't know anything about pedigrees, the dogs, nothing. Back then you didn't have to. There were few breeders and fewer still puppies available. That was some dog. He was my best friend for many years. That's precisely why I care so much about the breed. I feel almost like I owe it to him for giving me so much joy.

"When he died Eve and I decided we needed another one. I got the books on American Rottweilers, several months of Dog World, and began my search. This time I found page after page of Rottweiler ads. How do you choose one in all the ads? I looked through the books of kennels that produced the most champions, called one up and bought a male. Several months later, he was found to be dysplastic. Out the window went thirty-five hundred dollars. Even though we had a written contract, this breeder was so unethical I never even considered giving the dog back to her. She would have just ended up taking advantage of someone else. I sold the dog myself to a good home. Then we bought a female at about one year of age. She failed OFA..."

"What's OFA?", she asks, interrupting.

"Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. They evaluate hips of several breeds as a basis for breeding. Anyway, I put deposits down on litters that were born, then sold to other people but no puppy for me. Then after selling the whole litter of puppies the person had the nerve to tell me it would be another six months before I got my deposit back. She was another well-known breeder of American champions. Then I got lucky. Through one of these sour deals I ended up meeting an honest man, one who turned our luck around. He took us to Germany and helped us buy dogs from reputable kennels. I owe everything - at least with the dogs - to him. One hell of a guy! But I lost a great deal of money, time and trust along the way. I'm telling you. I've been in the nursery business for over twelve years now and we've never had a claim with the Better Business Bureau. But with dogs...You better watch out. You better go into the deal with both eyes open and your feet firmly planted on the ground.

"You know, I just went through the March 1989 issue of Dog World magazine and found twenty-eight percent of the ads on Rottweilers had false and misleading statements in them - Twenty-eight Percent! And that's only in the ads I could check. See, any dog from Germany has a history in the ADRK, the German Rottweiler Club. When he was born, how many were in the litter. His hip rating and those of his litter-mates and his ancestors, whether or not he passed his Breed Suitability Test..."

"Excuse me, what's that?"

"In Germany all dogs must pass a Breed Suitability Test before they can be bred. PERIOD! If they do not pass the test, then they cannot be bred. This is a test whereby the males when they are twenty-four months old - females can be twenty months old - must go for a public examination. Their hips must have already been evaluated by two licensed radiologists approved by the ADRK. Then their conformation is measured against the German Standard, not the American one..."

"What's the difference?"

"Well, unfortunately the American Standard is very different from the German one. Why? I really don't know. Almost every country in the world accepts the country of origin of the dog as the standard for the dog, but not America. The major differences in terms of the Standard are that in America the dog can have four or more missing teeth and still become a champion. In Germany no missing teeth are allowed. In America light eyes are allowed whereas the eyes must be dark in Germany. Mouth pigment is another important area of difference. In Germany the mouth must be dark. In America I have seen flaming pink mouths walk away with championships.

"The German Standard is much more strict. It is designed for breedworthiness because each of the faults I mentioned, light eyes, pink mouth, and missing teeth are all hereditary faults. They will be passed on to the generations to come. If we are truly trying to Better the Breed, how can we do this and breed dogs with obvious hereditary faults? That is the question I ask many of my breeder friends. We do not breed any dogs that do not meet the German Standard...under any conditions.

"So, with the Breed Suitability Test the dog is critiqued according to the German Standard. He is weighed, measured in various areas. His eye shape and color are compared to an eye chart. Then his temperament is tested. He must not be aggressive around people. He is walked into a group of people and told to sit. The judge comes into the group and examines the dog's behavior. Then his courage is tested. He must defend his owner while receiving two controlled stick hits. Then his courage is tested again but this time he is tested away from his owner. This is a true measure of the dog's temperament. And, from what I've learned about Rottweilers, I would only buy one from parents that meet at lest the German Standard, have OFA rated hips or a HD- hip rating from Germany, and either have passed a Breed Suitability Test, obtained an advanced working title such as Schutzhund I or CDX, or passed a Temperament Test. This would be the very least requirements that I would accept from a puppy's parents."

"Okay, I think I'm beginning to understand now. Do you have any puppies for sale?"

"Well, we don't really sell puppies over the telephone. We would need to get to know each other a lot better. What I can do is send you some information with pedigrees, photographs, conformation show critiques proving that the dogs placed at certain shows, copies of their schutzhund trial reports, Breed Suitability Tests, advanced Breed Suitability Tests called KORUNGS, and, if it's a repeat breeding, photos from the last litter. And, last but not least, a copy of our contract spelling out everything we guarantee and also everything we expect of you. I will also send you the names of some people who have bought puppies from us so you can see how we are to deal with. I would warn you that you will probably have to be put on a waiting list for some litters so you will not be getting a puppy next week. I will also be sending you out a questionnaire to fill out for us. I need to know more about you, your family, what you want and expect in your puppy. Do you want it for showing or working? Is breeding in your future? And I do need to get a letter from your vet.

"In the meantime I would certainly suggest that you contact other breeders and ask them to send you information on their breeding program, puppies for sale, contract and guarantee that they offer. And, if you get serious about buying a dog from them, get a list of their previous customers and give them a call. Learn as much about the breeder as you possibly can. Remember, it may take several months to find a good puppy, but it will be living with you hopefully for the next twelve years."

"Thank you so much for all your help. I've learned a lot. I wish I had talked to you before I bought..."

"I think we all wish things like that. Please understand. None of this information is coming just from me. It's coming from researching about dogs and good and bad experiences. I got most of this information from other Rottweiler friends. I just hope you will learn from it and pass it on to your friends.

"That's the only hope we have of saving this breed."