 Your Mom and I never told you this, but you were adopted. I know this may come as a shock to you at first, but when you think about it, we went all over the world looking for a male out of our breeding lineage that we could use to continue our breeding program and, of course, to love with all our hearts.
We needed a dog that could follow in the footsteps of our first son, Amboss and his cousin Benno. The statistical odds of finding an Amboss were 1 in 700,000 and for Benno it was 1 in 930,000. Amboss was your great Uncle and Benno was your grandfather.
Champ, out of all the dogs we looked at for nearly two years you were the dog God lead us to. That’s when God stepped in and you came into our lives. You had all the potential, physically, mentally and genetically to be the next great Stud Dog, but it was up to us to make it happen.
The next nine months went by fast, as we worked to build you into something the Rottweiler community had never seen before and will never see again. We developed your stamina so you could run for miles in competition and never tire. We added muscle mass until we had reached your peak weight (132 pounds) for your height (27 inches). We practiced showing and posing hour upon hour until we would look at you, smile, and say, “Wow,” to each other.
 During all this extensive training you always gave us everything you had. Every morning you sat waiting by the door to begin the day’s work. This is what made you so special; you had the heart of a stallion. This was God’s special gift to you because no matter what anyone did to show or train you, without your heart it would have never led to where it did.
Champ, you always did much, much more than we have ever asked or expected of you. You were the perfect son to us.
In the show ring, you proved yourself to be the BEST of the BEST. We will never forget the 1997 Westminster Kennel Club Show. When you entered the ring the judge put you in a corner all by yourself. Your Mom and I thought, ’Oh, no! The judge doesn’t like him.’ We watched the show as nervous parents wondering what was happening to our son. In the end, the judge made the public statement that he had to put you in the corner because you were so superior to the other dogs that he couldn’t judge them fairly with you next to them. The judge said, “When he saw you come in the ring, with your perfect head and perfectly muscled body, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He had bred, owned, showed and trained Rottweilers most of his adult life and he thought you were “The Perfect One.” After he saw you, he said, “There would never be another one like you.” Mom and I agree totally with him.
The rest of your show career is the record of a True Legend. You won the American Rottweiler Club National Specialty with the largest entry ever, over 1,000 dogs! You won everything we ever asked of you and more. Best In Show Wins, National Clubsieger Awards in German-style shows and Registered Therapy at 15 and one-half years of age!
 Your breeding career was and will be one of the most illustrious careers in Rottweiler history. You have won numerous Top Stud Dog Awards throughout the world. You were even the Top Stud Dog in Australia and you never set foot there. With the use of frozen semen we will bring your beauty in mind, body and spirit to families all over the world!
As our son, you were the most incredible child we have ever been Blessed to have. During the best days of our lives, you were with us every night to celebrate them. During the worst days of our lives, you were with us every night to offer your Unconditional Love. These last years were the Best! We all knew each other so well; we just looked in each others eyes and “felt” the love. Whenever you would curl up next to us in this crazy world outside, you always brought us peace, joy, and harmony.
 Sure we had Amboss, Benno,
Jockey and a host of some of the greatest Rottweilers that ever lived. But Champ, well, you were different. Sometimes you were Champ, Champster, Champy, Hammy, the Ham Man, Count Champula, but most of the time you were our “Baby Boy.” You loved the doggie girls, your own harem, as most male Rottweilers do, and you sure had an affinity for the human ladies. You would demonstrate your herding instinct by putting your head between their legs and walking them around the house. We sure miss that, the way you would wait by the door and once we were in the house, you would put that big head of yours between our legs and hold us in one place until we had provided you with the appropriate number of hugs and love. We sure miss the slobbery kisses you would give us in the middle of the night, as you would wake up and walk on Eve’s side then mine to make sure we were sleeping safely.
 We sure will miss the way you would wait by the front door next to your leash in the afternoons for your five o’clock daily walks around the nursery. We sure miss that big beautiful face that was at the door to greet us every night when we went out. We miss our Sunday rides in the car where you would stand up and take in all the sights we passed like a child in a new world. We would always stop by your special place and let you watch the cows. God, you loved watching cows. No barking, no jumping around, just a warm intensity that always seemed to make the drive special. We miss getting doggie bags of specially cut up portions of our food we always left over for you. We miss the need to hurry home because we simply missed being around you.
You helped celebrate Mother’s Day for Eve on May 13th which was also our 24th wedding anniversary. You left at 12:05 am May 19, 2007, but only in a physical sense. Your spirit is alive and well in the hearts and minds of all who knew you and especially those who had the special privilege of calling you “son.”
 You have done one more thing that is perhaps the most significant thing you could do for other dogs and humans. Champ, you are the reason for the “CHAMP FOUNDATION FOR EXCEPTIONAL LONGEVITY" which will support aging and cancer prevention research conducted by Dr. David Waters at the Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation in West Lafayette, Indiana. Just last month, you met Dr. Waters who heads the Murphy Foundation’s Center for Exceptional Longevity Studies and is leading the first systematic effort to study the oldest-old Rottweilers in the United States. By collecting medical information and biological samples from you and other Rottweilers who have reached at least 13 years of age, an Exceptional Longevity Database is being developed that will become a national resource for scientists who are studying factors that regulate aging. You are a true trailblazer and we promise that your final victory over cancer and your exceptional longevity will stand the test of time and be your greatest accomplishment to Rottweilers and mankind.
Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to tell you. The odds of a Rottweiler accomplishing everything you have accomplished are 1 in 1,300,000! So I guess Amboss and Benno will need to look upwards to find you.
We carry your love and soul in our hearts with every breath we take.
All our love,
Mom and Dad
TOGETHER WE MOVE ON TO THE FUTURE...
Click to read about the "CHAMP FOUNDATION FOR
EXCEPTIONAL LONGEVITY"
Click here to read CHAMP'S
EULOGIES..
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