Looking for a new best friend?  There’s lots of us here, and we’d all like the chance to say, “Pick me!  Pick me!”  We all feel lucky to be here, instead of being on the chain where our former guardians left us, or wandering around homeless and hungry, or in a shelter, marked for death.  We all love our foster homes, but what we really want is a home of our very own, with you!

We come in all ages, shapes and sizes.  And some of us have tails.  A Rottweiler with a tail?  Imagine that!  Not what you’re looking for, you say?  Well, let me tell you a little more.

Long, long ago, our ancestors used to herd cattle.  We lived in barns and it was important for our guardians to cut off our tails so we would not get dirty and infected back there.  Some of our ancestors pulled carts for a living, and tails got in the way, so they were cut off so we could do our job.  But now, our job is to give you all the love and affection we can, to comfort you when you are sad, to play with you when you are happy, to tell you when strangers are about.

We understand that you are not used to seeing a Rottie with a tail.  But let me assure you that we are quite common outside the United States.  Maybe if you knew more about tail docking, you’d understand why.

Usually, puppy tails are docked during the first week after birth.  At this time, the bones are still soft and the nerve endings are not fully sensitized.  Even then, the procedure of cutting through the bone, tissue and nerves is painful and can be temporarily traumatic for the newborn.