I got to talk to Axel’s handler for a while this morning. Due to some technical difficulties, I don’t have any candid photos to share yet, but I did have an update on his show training (short version: things are progressing according to, or even a bit ahead of, schedule). That was going to be today’s topic.

Then I got an e-mail from Jake’s web page, and I think I’m going to change directions and talk about him instead. He’s been gone for over six years now, and I still miss him. Though I love Axel and Freya very much, Jake and Heidi were my “heart” dogs whose pawprints will never be completely filled.

Sometimes I find myself caught up in my plans for Axel’s future. Once he finishes his championship, he’ll come back home and then I would like to work on his obedience and Schutzhund titles. Since I am a really terrible dog trainer who gets ring nerves, or trial nerves, like you wouldn’t believe, that part is going to really take some doing.

But back to Jake. He was supposed to be my Schutzhund dog. His breeder was a Schutzhund trainer who competed at national and international levels. His sire was, at the time, the last surviving son of the great Dingo vom Schwaiger Wappen. He already had much of the foundation training when I got him. He was supposed to teach me about the sport. And he did.

But before we were ever able to compete, drastic change occurred. He was at his breeder’s for boarding, and he managed to get out of his kennel. He was most likely chasing a squirrel or rabbit when he ran out into the road and was hit by a car. Understand that it was truly an accident. I never blamed anyone for what happened, then or now.

His life was saved that day, but he suffered a career-ending injury. The nerves to his right front leg were torn and never regenerated. The leg had to be amputated a few weeks after the accident.

So make the best of this test, and don’t ask why…

Our original plans for Schutzhund fame were obviously not going to work out. While my major concern during that time was of course for Jake to have a full recovery from his injuries, it was impossible not to also think about how our… my… competition hopes were pretty much lying in ruins at that point. Yes, I guess it does sound shallow. But I had bought him specifically for the sport and hopefully competition, and paid what was then, to me, a lot of money for a dog. I had a lot of moments of “oh, crap, now what?”

It’s not a question, but a lesson learned in time…

I mentioned that Jake was supposed to teach me about the sport. What he taught me after the amputation was much more important. Dogs live in the here and now. They don’t go “why me?” and dwell on what they can’t do. Watching him adapt to his disability was amazing and inspiring. His ability to enjoy life wasn’t diminished at all until very, very late in the game, when age and the limits of the flesh finally caught up with him.

More than a few people seemed surprised that I did not get another young dog to train and compete with. I won’t say that putting the sport before an individual dog is absolutely wrong, but I will say emphatically that it would have been so, so wrong for me.

Jake was not an extremely handsome Rottweiler. In fact, he was a textbook case of how a dog can have no disqualifying faults, but still not be sieger/championship material. He more than made up for his lack of conformational excellence with his working ability and his true Rottweiler heart and spirit.

He was always a bit vain, if you can imagine that, and he probably hated that I even took a picture of him so soon after his surgery. But it’s one of my favorite pictures of him because of the look in his eyes. Looking straight on, saying “I’m still standing.”

I got him as a young adult, and we were his third home (his first owner was a celebrity who shall remain unnamed for the moment, but that is a whole other long story). So we had quite a few things to work through as we forged a bond. Let’s just say that Jake did not take an immediate liking to me, and I wondered if nice jewelry would have been a better use of the money I spent on him. We got through it. As much as I’ve loved all of my Rottweilers, he is undoubtedly the one that was most devoted to me.

Throughout his life, and even now, I get email through his web page from people whose dogs are facing amputations. The really heartbreaking ones are the ones involving older dogs with bone cancer. Some are really wonderful, from people who have or are considering adopting a special needs dog, and want tips on how to keep a tripod dog active and comfortable.

I got one tonight, and that’s why we are talking about Jake instead of Axel.

It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

Miss you, Jakey. It’s probably gonna be a while yet before I see you, so be good… okay, try and be good… until I get there.

Canine Grade 1 elbow dysplasia is defined as “minimal bone change (less than 3mm) along anconeal process of ulna.

I guess I’m stretching it a bit here, but I wanted to keep to the theme and also finally get a chance to talk about my puppy boy Axel and his quest… okay, fine, make that my quest… for his American championship. He left on December 14 and is currently staying with a professional handler with a great reputation, who does a lot of winning, and who is also a very nice person.

Those of you who know how I feel about my animals are probably pretty surprised that I would send Axel away for any reason, least of all something a bit shallow like a beauty (conformation) title. I have been second-guessing myself a lot, because it is very quiet here. Freya doesn’t really pick up the slack in the Rottweiler mayhem and wild-child department. Axel really is in good hands but we sure do miss him.

I really am getting to the part where this all fits in with bone change, so bear with me.

Freya and Axel were both acquired as show and breeding prospects. In order for me to consider breeding a Rottweiler of mine, it needs to have passed certain health tests, and hopefully also acquired both beauty and working titles.

Freya did not pass CERF eye screening. She has punctate cataracts in both eyes. They are very tiny and will probably not affect her vision until she is quite elderly, if then. It does mean she will not be bred as cataracts of that type appear to be hereditary. This failure was particularly heartbreaking, as she had already passed the health tests for cardiac, hips and elbows.

Her German-style show career was extremely unspectacular, so she was never shown in AKC shows. Although she has a beautiful head and front, and no actual disqualifying faults, she is somewhat cow-hocked in the rear and thus doesn’t move well. Movement is very important when judging Rottweilers, particularly in German-style shows. Don’t worry about Freya, though. Nothing could ever change our love for her, and she doesnt mind being an obedience dog, or usually, the anti-obedience dog.

Axel is beautiful. He’s got a lot of attitude and is a bit of a handful, especially for me, but he is just plain beautiful. As a youngster, he got a V, or Excellent, rating and 2nd place in his class at his first German-style show. This is a big deal, because V ratings are not always given in the youth classes.

The health tests for hips and elbows are not final unless they are done at age 2 or later. Due to the timing of Axel’s second birthday, the dates his handler would be in our area, and the dates that were available to have the hip and elbow x-rays done, it was a bit rushed and we did not have the results in hand before he left. His hips did pass, but his elbows did not. Actually, one elbow is normal, and the other one has that minimal bone change referred to above.

There is a lot of controversy as to whether a Rottweiler who does not pass elbows should be bred, but most knowledgeable breeders do seem to concur that unilateral Grade I degenerative joint disease should not eliminate a good dog from a breeding program. I’m going with that thought, as my last Rottweiler with unilateral Grade I DJD lived to be almost 12 years old, and never showed any symptoms of pain or limping in that elbow.

Two more health tests to go: heart and eyes. And one championship to go: in progress.

I know it is hard to tell from this post, but Axel is above all, my puppy boy and a very much loved family member. I just want him to be a champion on top of that, and maybe one day be able to see him in one of his puppies.