I think we're going to need a bigger boat.

I love that line, "I think we're going to need a bigger boat." from the movie Jaws. That's when the guys that went out on the boat to hunt the shark finally get a chance to see how big it was.

Well, today I finally got to go through all the old Veterinary records for Ruffin. I pulled out all the receipts for the first two years that we had on him, from the first day on 1-16-2007 when he was exactly 2 months old the little fur ball weighed a healthy 19 pounds. I wanted to compare how Ruff had gained weight and grew during this period and compare it with baby Bessie. And I am amazed at what I found.

Ruff is a very large male Rottweiler. He is at the top of the standard size which according to Wikipedia is 110 - 130 pounds. But Ruff didn't get that big until he was over two years old. The female Rottweiler ranges from 75 - 105 pounds.

I commented the other day that Bessie bears a remarkable resemblance to Ruffin and thought she might possibly be an offspring of one of Ruff's litter mates. Ruff's father lived on a horse farm in Burlington, Kentucky only 20 miles or so away - and Cliff Hafer, the owner, also was a breeder of Rottweilers. So it just could be possible they are distant relatives.

So here are the amazing weight comparisons.

On 1-16-2007 Ruff was 2 months old and weighed 19 lbs. On 8-28-2014 Bessie was 2 months old and weighed 13 lbs.
On 1-30-2007 Ruff was 2 1/2 months old and weighed 24.5 lbs. On 9-30-2014 Bessie was 3 months old and weighed 28 lbs.
On 3-26-2007 Ruff was 4 1/2 months old and weighed 34.8 lbs. On 10-31-2014 Bessie was 4 months old and weighed 42 lbs.
On 6-13-2007 Ruff was 7 months old and weighed 65 lbs. On 12-1-2014 Bessie was 5 months old and weighed 58 lbs but on 1-4-2015 when Bessie was 6 months old she weighed 67.5 lbs. Bessie won't be 7 months old until February 1st.

The only records of Ruff's weight come from his visits to the Vet. I did not keep track of his weight at home as I have been with Bessie. The next target date for comparison will be May 1st when Bessie is 10 months old. On 9-18-2007 when Ruff was 10 months old he weighed 92.7 lbs. Bessie has only 22 pounds to go to catch up to him in the next 3 1/2 months and she has consistently gained over 10 pounds every month up to now.

Bessie has already grown larger than Ruff did on the last two comparison dates. When Bessie was 6 months old she weighed 2.5 lbs more than Ruff did when Ruff was a month older.

I am guessing that Bessie will weigh 100 pounds by her first birthday on July 1, 2015.

Might not need a bigger boat but my mini van sure is going to get crowded.