2012 ARV South East Regional and National Show- Caryville, TN
This right here mortified me at the time, but eventually became one of my favorite show moments ever. Guardian Atlas Von Gottschalk is a very serious dog. He is 100% German working mentality- hard, confident, and loves to work. However, as with all Rottweiler, there are so many layers to the dog- part of what makes this breed so unique and steels my heart <3 So, Atlas, my big, tough, manly man, has this little quirk. He likes shadows. No, he does not like shadows, he LOVES shadows. He turns into this little puppy every time one catches his attention, he will play bow, pounce- thoroughly enjoy himself and forget there is even an audience. Here, Mick Svaljek, an Australian judge that I highly respect, was trying to figure out what was wrong with Atlas as he started acting like a kitten. I had to let Mick know that he was pouncing on his shadow. At the time, I wanted to disappear into the ground with Atlas I was so embarrassed. Now it just endears me to Atlas all the more. The judge ended up moving Atlas under a tree where he could not see his shadow so that he would stack up and could be judged. And of course, my Champion brought home another trophy. This right here is why I love this breed so much <3 The Rottweiler has taught me so much about life. He is not ashamed to wear his heart on his sleeve, live in the moment, and love unconditionally. All I can do is try every day to be worthy of this breed.
