From the news headlines to television and film, Rottweilers have been in the media for decades. Screen writers use them for both human and horror because of their larger than life appearance and menacing reputations. As one of the two dog breeds most commonly associated with dog bite related fatalities over the years, that menacing reputation seems to appear validated.
Latest Rottweilers in the News
North Carolina – April 2, 2008: A 53 year old woman in Bessemer City, North Carolina was found not guilty in an animal cruelty case in which she left her Rottweiler and a cat outdoors in a pen at home with no food or water for several days last September. The animals have been kept at a local animal shelter since they were discovered. It is unclear as to if or when the Rottweiler named “Lucky” will be returned to his owner.
Scotland - March 31, 2008: A 4 year old Rottweiler mix in Glasgow, Scotland was shot and killed by an animal control officer after a phone call reported that it had attacked and/or bitten a child. The officer verbally showed a bias to the breed before she shot the dog that was securely tied in its own yard. The report was false.
New Zealand - January, 2008: A film director in Wellington, New Zealand filed a report that his neighbor’s Rottweiler had growled menacingly as he pinned the man against his car in the driveway that the two houses shared. The Rottweiler was owned by the local director of the SPCA. Upon investigation, it was found that the incident had not happened and no action was taken.
Ireland – Summer, 2007: A young boy in Edenberry was attacked by several Rottweilers who had escaped from their enclosure. The boy sustained injuries to his head, chest, arms and legs. The dogs’ owner was fined 1000 Euros and the dogs were euthanized.
Rottweilers in the Movies and Television
Rottweilers have been making memorable appearances on television and in movies for years. Who cold forget the faithful family pet in Ferris Beuller’s Day Off or the menacing cemetery guard in Pet Semetary? Several popular television shows feature Rottweilers as pets, including Las Vegas, Entourage and the more recent hit show New Amsterdam.
Here are a few more memorable Rottweiler roles in movies and television:
- Fang from the film Dumb and Dumberer
- Snots from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
- Triumph the Insult Comic Dog is a Rottweiler puppet
- Demon possessed Rottweilers chase Gregory Peck in The Omen
- Riff Raff in the film Underdog
- Nugent, in the animated film Over the Hedge
- Leslie, a Congresswoman’s Rottweiler in Legally Blonde, 2: Red White & Blonde
While the majority of Rottweiler depictions in the media appear to have a negative connotation, it is important for you to know that a Rottweiler’s temperament can and should be controlled early in life through proper obedience training and socialization. It is only through responsible ownership that Rottweilers will ever be seen by the greater society as the loving and loyal pets that they are.
