When Modern Culture and Popularity Destroy Breeds.
When Modern Culture and Popularity Destroy Breeds.
I remember about 35 years ago, it may be more now actually wow!, any way approximately 35 years ago I had a Rottweiler as a pet and I had been after one for about 2 years.
As any good caring dog owner should, I had done my research, would this dog be compatible with my lifestyle? could I give it everything it needed? did I have the resources, both time and financial, to look after this breed of dog?
The answer was a big YES!
After further research on breeders I read in the canine papers and magazines (remember those days before the internet??) who were known in the dog world as successful breeders and the kind of aftercare they offered, I eventually tracked down a very prominent breeder of Dobermans and Rottweilers about an hour and a half drive away with, you guessed it a litter ready to be picked prior to leaving mum in a couple of weeks later.
Trip duly made, pup duly picked, a girl that I named, NYSSA, after a character from Dr Who.
I spent the next 2 weeks sorting things out, buying things for her that I did not already have, My parents had 3 other dogs at that time so I had access to most things but I still wanted some NEW stuff for her.
She settled in an became a great dog, over the years we became a sight around the streets and parks of Stratford Upon Avon where we lived at that time.
The only other Rottweiler that I knew about during those years in the area was a very well known male called NELSON and he was massive, I thought NYSSA was a big girl but this boy was huge and in total proportion, head to docked tail.
And what temperaments' did they both have? totally sound, NYSSA was a bit unsure of strangers at home where the natural aloofness of the breed would be noticeable, but out in public, she was bombproof, children were drawn to her and would often stroke her as we walked past them even putting their little hands in her usually, slobbery mouth.
NELSON was a inner town centre pub dog and knew the game well, when the pub was open he was to stand down and enjoy being the centre of attention from the punters, getting under table scraps of food as treats, but once the pub was closed for the evening he was guard dog and more than once he made sure that there were no late pub crawlers allowed in.
When Modern Culture and Popularity Destroy Breeds.
When Modern Culture and Popularity Destroy Breeds.
But again as with my dog, he was a super star out in public, with town regulars stopping for a chat and a stroke as they went about their shopping/business and although NELSON was a couple of years older than NYSSA they were to become great friends over the years and were often seen together down town as I walked to the recreation fields along side the river AVON opposite bank to the Shakespeare Theatre as it was known then, I believe it has been rebuilt in the intervening years and is now called the SWAN Theatre, anyway, Rottweilers were fairly innocent and scarce, certainly in the UK.
Then came...THE OMEN series of films, the first OMEN earlier in the 70's then followed up by 2 more in the later 70's and 80's...oh dear!
Great though the films might have been what they did to the Rottweiler breed was astonishing, our dogs were almost shunned as we walked by, murmurs of 'Devil Dogs' could be heard and 'that's one of those Damien Dogs' with 'careful they will attack you I've seen them in the OMEN'.
Same dogs totally different perception!
As a side note here, through my work in Security, in later years I was to become good friends with a man whose family supplied the Rottweilers for the films and he said that they were all soft hearted and they had to work at making them act like they do in the films.
So a cautionary tale then, the Rottweiler I don't believe ever lost its connection to the OMEN films.
The German Shepherd as Jerry Lee (K9) the Doberman, Zeus and Apollo (Magnum P.I.)
In fact I'm almost certain that the inbreeding and over breeding by unscrupulous dealers and irresponsible owners has lead to the decline in soundly bred bloodlines leading to many health and temperament issues.
We as film consuming owners and future owners only see the, fun, exciting, courageous, sad, tear jerking, adorable, take your pick here, dogs exhibited on screen for us to enjoy, need to take a step back and understand that the one we get is not going to be the same as the one we have just seen on the big or little screen.
*When Modern Culture and Popularity Destroy Breeds.*
*When Modern Culture and Popularity Destroy Breeds.*
As I write this the latest John Wick movie has been released with 2 Malinois, Belgian Shepherds, starring alongside Keanu Reeves.
Now I enjoy the John Wick movies as much as the next person and I will watch with excitement as the dogs do their thing in the film, but I dread the fallout as they become the object of desire for wrong thinking movie goers.
As an owner and previous breeder of these magnificent breeds I shudder to think what might happen in a year or so when they start to be abandoned because they were not the right dog to buy after all.
When Modern Culture and Popularity Destroy Breeds.
When Modern Culture and Popularity Destroy Breeds.
History it would seem does in fact repeat itself, as only recently I was asked by a member of the public...
'Is that one of those John Wick dogs'
!!!!
When Modern Culture and Popularity Destroy Breeds.
When Modern Culture and Popularity Destroy Breeds.
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