For a number of years, we had two large and wonderful Rottweilers, Cooper and Xena, both pure bred Rotties. They were great dogs, smart and very well behaved. They had the run of the house and yard and we never worried about “unexpected” visitors! Cooper weighed in at 135 pounds and was the largest dog I’ve ever owned, while Xena was a modest 100 pounds but was fast as lightning. We had heard all the negative stories about how vicious and aggressive Rotties were – but these two convinced us that the stories were from people who met Rotties that had been raised to be that way. Cooper and Xena both were gentle and friendly dogs.
Unfortunately, Cooper developed bone cancer in his shoulder (bone cancer in Rotties is, unfortunately, very common). We medicated him and bought him about 2 years but eventually he was just in so much pain we had to usher him over the Rainbow Bridge – I still tear up when I think of that day.
This left Xena as an “only” dog and it took about six months for us to gather our courage to get another dog. When we finally decided to get Xena a companion the search was on! We are picky about our Rotties and insist on pure bred dogs with full tails – I think docking tails (and ears for that matter) is barbaric and serves no useful purpose. I called and corresponded with a number of breeders and either the tails were docked or there were no pups available. Finally after about four months of searching I got a call from Amy at Gentry Creek Rottweilers that she would have pups available in mid February 2025. We were delighted with the news, especially since Xena came from Gentry Creek so we trusted the breeder and expected a wonderful pup.
We planned to pick up our new pup immediately following our scheduled trip to Panama which would return us to Dulles International Airport mid-day on February 12. According to the best laid plans, driving to Marion VA should be an easy drive, straight down I-81 for about 5 hours. Our plane landed around 1 so we expected to be in Marion in time for a late dinner. Boy were we wrong!
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I think it started snowing while we were still on the bus transporting us to the airport parking area. And it kept snowing, sometimes so hard I couldn’t see the lanes on the road or even be sure we were still on the road. And anyone that has traveled I-81 knows the tractor trailers own the road, especially when you’re driving a Mini Cooper! I don’t recall ever seeing a snow plow or salt truck and I simply followed the tracks of the semi truck in front of me for what seemed like days (although it was only hours). We finally arrived in Marion just before 11 PM – it took us twice as long as expected. The next morning there was 4 inches of white fluffy stuff on everything but the roads were passable and we drove an easy hour to Gentry Creek.
Pure joy. Our first meeting with Kojak at Gentry Creek Rottweilers in Tennessee was unforgettable! He was in a pen with his litter mates and we were immediately drawn to him. We had the pick of the litter, being the first ones to claim a pup, and the choice was immediate, unanimous and obvious – there wasn’t even a second choice! Libby picked him up and he settled into her arms as if to say “Let’s go home”. We couldn’t wait to get him home and introduce him to Xena.
Of course the weather didn’t cooperate – yesterday’s snow at least had the grace to turn to rain so driving was a little easier. We had about a 9 hour drive which the rain stretched to 12 (some downpours were nearly as impassable as last night’s snow!) Kojak spent almost the entire journey snockered out on Libby’s lap as if he was born to travel. We did stop several time for bathroom breaks, but he made it the whole way home without needing a stop. When we finally arrived home, way later than expected, Kojak simply curled up on the floor next to my knapsack surveying his new kingdom. He seemed to be happy to get home and somehow realized this was where he belonged, especially with his new best friend, Xena.
