The Rottweiler

When my family and I first moved to Kansas City, we used to explore our neighborhood a TON through taking our dogs on walks. We would often be gone for hours because that was when my mom was big on looking for dropped, forgotten coins, (and sometimes dollar bills) so it worked out that we were homeschooled. (That was just about the nerdiest sentence I've ever written.)

One particularly fine day, we were wandering around, looking for money/walking the dogs. Heidi and I were on one side of the street with Riley and Mom and Rachel were on the other side with Kacee. Let me note: we have small dogs. Riley is a shihtzu, Kacee is a terrier-poodle mix. Neither of them realize how small they are.

We were passing a house that had a fairly large dog on a leash, barking loudly and ferociously, which made us both SO glad it couldn't get at us.

Right after we passed that house, right after we finished saying we were glad leashes were invented, right after the last waves of relief washed over us, we saw it. Trotting towards us from across the street.

A Rottweiler.
Alone.

WE PANICKED.

Heidi picked up Riley, who didn't immediately know what was going on, and turned her back to the dog from The Sandlot. I was frozen, not at all knowing what to do to protect us from the huge, silent dog coming at us.

It picked up its pace, heading straight for Heidi and Riley, which made Heidi start panicking even more (obviously) and she then held our tiny dog over the fence of the yard that was closest to us. (Not the one with the huge, barking, leashed dog) That was when Riley realized what was going on, so he was barking and squirming, trying to get at the monster dog.

The Rottweiler walked right up to Heidi, still not barking or making ANY noise, (and that was somehow more terrifying than if it was barking or growling, because we didn't have a clue what to expect) so Heidi started screaming and I started frantically trying to figure out what I was going to do to protect my sister and my dog. (It all happened so fast, I couldn't even grasp what was happening!)

Then it put its dinner plate-sized front paws on Heidi's back, so Heidi was  bent over double, still screaming, still trying to hold Riley over her head.

The Rottweiler leaned forward, smelled Riley, then got back on all fours and walked back home.

That was it.

It didn't make a single sound, didn't hurt us, didn't do anything except try to make a new friend.

Heidi and I were both so relieved and shaken, we sat down on the curb and started laughing. The picture in my head of her having a Rottweiler on her back is one of my favorite things ever...it's right up there with her floating in the air when I pulled the rug out from underneath her.

The point of this story is, we survived; and not all Rottweilers are vicious attack dogs, waiting to kill! (But I guess that was proven in The Sandlot.)