HI Wayne,

On Sun 2038-Apr-04 05:32, WAYNE CHIRNSIDE (1:123/140) wrote to RICHARD WEBB:


 RW> Roxy, as I said was adopted off the street.  Being a blind
 RW> man there was one thing we had to get straight right away
 RW> since we lived inner city.  That was that any time I
 RW> demanded when I noted she'd picked something up off the
 RW> street I be permitted to inspect what she had.


WC> I never got bit by Spanky except once as a joke.
WC> Just a tiny little pinch with the small front teeth to get my
WC> attention, it was the canine version of a practical joke.

Schotze will sort of grab at my arm, and tell me she wants
to play and roughhouse a bit.  HEr favorite toys seem to be
those knotted ropes you see, but I quit buying them.  I
recycled some that held up wire antennas, and the old stuff
got knotted up and turned into such a toy.  sHe knows when
she wants to get too rambunctious I tell her "go get your
rope" and she'll come trotting back with it.  AS I type this message
she's got her head in my lap./  She's telling me
mommy's up and made her morning trip to the little room.

THe only difficulty we really have with her because of
Kathy's medical situation is whenever I"m dealing with
Kathy's oxygen tanks instead of her concentrator.  A few
weeks after Kathy first went on external oxygen I was
getting ready to trade tanks, empties for fulls with the
supplier who was due the next day.  We'd asked him to bring
us an extra large supply as we had a whole weekend of
activity ahead and a meeting later that week to drive to,
which meant Kathy would be on bottled oxy quite a bit.  I
had one bottle which had the seal broken off it because I"d
hooked her up to it during a thunderstorm, and another large bottle, these
are the size you see in hospitals etc. that
have their own little two wheelers, so I went to crack each
tank open with the oxygen valve key to determine which one
aws the truly empty.
AS I cracked one open it was pointed right at Schotze, and
that hiss and the rush of air drove her crazy.

NOw every time I go to work with one of those tanks she goes crazy and
tries to attack the tank, telling me to not mess
with that thing.

WC> I'd often wished I could take him around to old persons homes and
WC> hospitals as companion dogs sometimes are to cheer up the infirm and
WC> elderly. 

SAme here with Schotze.  She's actually quite loving, and
all that bouncing off the door isn't about "let me rip your
arm off sucker" as it is "come here and pet me, play with
me."

WC> British Staffordshire Bull Terriers are a disappeared breed as
WC> eveyone seems to want
WC> the bigger and badder variety the American Staffordshire.

YEp, the redneck dogfighter types like the bigger badder
ones.  That's the bad thing about rotts, these folks think
that a rott would be a good fighting dog, but rotts aren't
fighters.  NOw, caveat being that I don't think I"d come
messing around my audio truck when Schotze is outside, or
try to break in here were I a stranger.  I don't think it
would be real beneficial to someone's health to do that.
SHe and I play a bit rough, but I encourage her to
understand that she's supposed to be a bit intimidating.

WC> Yeah, I found out you couldn't let the Pit Bull sleep on the bed at
WC> face to face level or he'd begin to challenge my authority. 

SHe tries that, but she makes a game out of it, then backs
down.  Once Kathy and I are settled in the bed she'll start
out over on my side of the bed, then late in the night
she'll be over lying on Kathy's legs.  When Kathy's
hospitalized for a week or tow at a time she sleeps right in mama's spot though.

WC> That said this terror of a Pit Bull got into the trash in the
WC> kitchen five times
WC> in twelve years and that was the entire extent of his misbehavior. 

Schotze finds the trash irresistible.  The kitchen trash is
barricaded by a stepstool and other stuff, my office trash
is kept in the closet over here, which means that if we do
poultry the bones go in my office trash.  ROttweilers are by nature a bit
aggressive when it comes to anything edible.
The guy who boards her occasionally for us always says she's "food
aggressive."  I always have to remind him, she's
demand fed at home, food is always available to her, when
she wants it.  So, he has to remember to put hers down
first, go down the row of other kennels, distribute food,
then start at opposite end a few minutes later, picking up
hers last.  HE raises Britany spaniels.

WC> OTOH the neighbors where SHOCKED when observing Spanky having picked
WC> up a pork chop 
WC> bone outside he was choking on having caught in his throat when I
WC> reached down hs 
WC> throat and dislodged it.

But of course you could, you're alpha male.  Part of that
alpha thing with a pack also has to do with trust.

 RW> Schotze's main problem right now is not enough exercise, and that's a
 RW> tough one for us.  I"m hoping to find a used

WC> Yeah due to limited mobility I tried to find a decent home for him
WC> at age  six but all I found were people wanting an attack dog or one
WC> to hunt wild boar.

That wouldn't work I'm sure.  I'd hate the thought of having to find a home
for Schotze.

WC> I always used to say if you judge me by the behavior of my Pit Bull
WC> you've really way too high of an opinon of me.

WC> People should be as sweet and as well behaved.

Ditto for most Rotts I've encountered.


WC> However when I walked him down the bad streets I short leaded him,
WC> this amoung the
WC> few times he was ever on a lead I short leaded him as to make him
WC> appear badass and people invariably drew back away from him.

I short lead Schotze often on walks when there are people
around, just because she's big and scary, but she's actually friendly.  I
encourage neighborhood children to pet her and
get to know her however.  they know that if I"m around with
her she's safe to come and pet.  Their parents are actually
more nervous about the encounter than the kids are.
WC> Such a shame they only live an average of 12 years. 

That's about the same lifespan for ROtts.  Schotze and I
don't do the eye contact thing, but certain words and
phrases communicate to her instantly what I want her to do,
and I"m also big on the hand gesture along with the voice
command, one *must* be accompanied by the other for her to
respond appropriately.


Regards,
           Richard
--- timEd 1.10.y2k+