THE CREATION OF
THE ROTTWEILER
Once upon a time, long, long ago, before Mankind and
Dogdom learned to love one another, the Grand Canine Council of Eight, which
govern the fate of all dogs, called an important meeting. It had been
decided that the governing of dogs would be more easily accomplished if each
dog was designated by the name of his choice, and each breed could then
select a prototype to portray breed characteristics. This action was
deemed necessary because Mankind and Dogdom were to soon unite, hopefully to
the benefit of each.
On the appointed day, the representatives
gathered and one by one, in an orderly fashion, each made his selection from
a series of catalogs depicting body parts available.
As the day
wore on, it became clear that there was not enough material on hand to
satisfy all breed requirements. Shortages were beginning to develop,
especially in the ear and tail categories. A few of the
breed representatives began to show signs of anxiety. A Greyhound crowded
near a large dog at the front of the line. "Please, friend Rottweiler,"
whined the Greyhound, "Let me take your place in line. If I stay at the end
of the line there won't be any long tails left, and without long tails to act
as rudders, Greyhounds will run crookedly."
"Well, okay," said the
Rottweiler, and he moved back a step for the grateful Greyhound.
The line began inching forward again. "Pardon me, sir," rumbled a deep voice
at the Rottweiler's shoulder. "Would you mind if I went ahead
of you?"
"Well," said the Rottweiler, "I really don't
think....."
"You see," the deep voice went on, "We St. Bernards must
have great size to perform our rescue work in the snow. It's extremely
difficult for small dogs to rescue people. Just think of all those lost
children."
"Oh, all right," sighed the Rottweiler, and again he moved
back in line.
And so it went......a little prototype dog for whom a
long body was essential so he could wriggle into badger holes edged in; a
terrier type needed agility and speed to catch rats; another needed a dense
coat to be comfortable while guarding sheep in winter; a tiny prototype
needed a silky coat to please those upon whose lap she sat. Finally, all
that remained was the tired canine who had patiently yielded his place to the
others. Sadly, he looked through the catalogs. Most of the items had
black lines drawn through them....all of the good stock was gone. The
Rottweiler sighed deeply.
"HURRY UP!" yapped the Eighth Fate,
without looking up.
"Well," said the Rottweiler, very alert now that
his turn had finally come. "I guess a big deep chest won't look bad with
small ears that stand up sharply."
"Sorry," said the Eighth Fate.
"All out of stand up ears."
"NO STAND UP EARS!" howled the
Rottweiler.
"That's what I said. We can give you rosettes, long or
medium-short, but they all drop."
"I'll take the medium-short,"
said the Rottweiler with disappointment. "They won't be too noticeable with a
nice bright color combination."
"NO BRIGHT COLORS," yipped the Second
Fate. "Only black."
"BLACK?" Snarled the Rottweiler.
"Wait, wait," whimpered the Fourth Fate, in an attempt to placate.
"Here
are a few tan markings you can scatter on the face and legs."
"I have
three white hairs here," said the Fifth Fate. "Not enough for everyone, but occasionally you can sprinkle two or three on a chest."
"It's not
really what we had in mind," said the Rottweiler. Then he brightened,
"However a big plume of a tail will make up for everything."
"SORRY,"
barked the Sixth Fate. "NO TAILS."
"WHAT?" roared the Rottweiler,
"You expect me to report back to my breed chairman in BLACK with a few tan
markings, DROP EARS and NO TAIL?"
"Sorry," said the others. "You
should have gotten here sooner."
"One moment," the Chief Fate
interceded. "This prototype was one of the first to arrive."
"I
can't help that," said the Eighth Fate crankily (he was getting
very tired.)
"Besides," added the Third Fate, "All of the catalogs are closed. There are no more supplies to be had."
"I
realize that," answered the Chief Fate, "But we can do what all good dogs
should do......give something of ourselves."
From each of us,
Rottweiler, you will receive one gift to bestow upon your breed: COURAGE,
GENTLENESS, INTELLIGENCE, STRENGTH, LOYALTY, PLACIDITY, HANDSOMENESS and
VIGILANCE. However, the greatest attribute of any breed you already possess
in abundance.....A GENEROUS
HEART."
Beverly
Mitchell
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