Pictured to the left is our very first Rottweiler

Ebony Shiner Von Meadow, CDX
(aka "Shiner").

We acquired her as an 8 week old puppy in 1984.  The reason I first became interested in the Rottweiler is because at the time, my husband Steve traveled quite a bit with his job and I was uneasy about being home alone.  I researched several breeds and decided that the Rottweiler was for me.    Everything that I'd read suggested that the Rottweiler must have obedience training, so Shiner and I began obedience classes when she was just a few months old.  She was extremely smart and loved to work, so we went on the compete in AKC obedience trials and she eventually obtained her CDX (Companion Dog Excellent) degree.

 We also tried showing Shiner in the AKC breed ring, however, we didn't get very far due to her temperament...  She was "shy-sharp" and would growl when the judge approached her, so, needless to say, she was not able to compete for her AKC Championship.  While this is acceptable behavior in the German breed ring, the AKC does not allow it.

Because of her sharp temperament, we decided not to breed her.  Shiner lived to be almost 10 years old.  She was euthanized in May of 1994 due to an inoperable spleen tumor...

While Shiner did not have the ideal temperament, we loved her just the same.
She taught us alot about dogs in general, and Rottweilers in particular!
 
 
 
 

Pictured on the right (at 10 years of age) is our second Rottweiler

CH Ironwood's Galahad, CDX
(aka "Auggie")

We learned a few things from our experience with "Shiner" and this time around we made sure we dealt with a reputable breeder who had dogs with sound temperaments.
Auggie came to us from a well known & respected breeder in Virginia.
He was 9 weeks old when he arrived at our home in Texas in October of 1986.

As with Shiner, Auggie and I began going to obedience classes when he was just a few months old.  Unlike Shiner, Auggie's temperament did not interfere with his AKC breed competition.  Physically, Auggie was a "late bloomer" and so while he was growing up, we concentrated on our AKC obedience titles.  He had his CD (Companion Dog) title by 1 year of age, and his CDX title by age 2.

If you wonder where we came up with the name "Kavalier", this is where it started...
with "Auggie".  When we became active in showing (and to a lesser extent) breeding Rottweilers, we had to pick a "kennel name" for ourselves.  We do not have a "kennel" per se - all of our dogs live with us in the house.  That's just what dog people call it...  Your "kennel name" is like your "farm name" in goats.  Since Auggie was our first real show dog, we picked a kennel name in his honor.  Auggie's registered name is "Galahad" (a knight and a gentleman) and the Rottweiler a German breed, and my last name is French... so we came up with "Kavalier" because it is the German word for "cavalier," and "cavalier" is the French word for "knight."
 
 

I showed Auggie myself in the AKC breed ring until he was about 3 years of age.   He and I both "learned the ropes," so to speak, of the AKC breed ring.
 

Here we are in 1987 when Auggie was only 11 months old.  He took Reserve Winners Dog from the puppy class, AND earned two legs on his CD title that weekend!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

When Auggie was 3 1/2 years old,  we hired a professional handler (Ron Buxton - pictured in photo to right) so that he could obtain his AKC Championship title.

Auggie began campaigning in the Spring of 1990 and obtained his Championship title in less than 3 months of shows, and finished with 3 majors!  In just 4 months as a Special, he had 16 Best of Breed wins and several Group Placements.

He was ranked the #13 Rottweiler in the US in 1990 with limited showing...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Auggie is pictured here at one of his last shows...

He is pictured just a few days before his 11th birthday.   He was in GREAT shape for his age and won several Veteran Dog classes at the various Rottweiler Specialties that year.

(That's me handling him)

We were very fortunate to have shared our lives with Auggie.
He was a very special Rottweiler.

Auggie died very suddenly in March of 1998 from what we suspect was internal bleeding caused by a ruptured spleen...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Here are Auggie and Shiner on Padre Island Beach

Currently, we have two Rottweilers, "Roxie" and "Blaze".
 They are litter sisters sired by Auggie and they will be turning 10 years old this Summer.
They are both AKC Champions and both have their CD titles...
(We'll be adding another page with their pictures in the new future.)

We do have frozen semen stored away on Auggie and one day we hope to have more of his puppies from a frozen semen breeding.

If anyone knows of a vet who has a good success rate with canine frozen semen breedings, please let me know!!

Thanks for visiting our Rottweiler page.
 
 

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Updated 4/20/01