Happy Seventh Birthday to Brogan Today!

In honor of Brogan's birthday, a little trip down memory lane...

Brogan and me on his adoption day...

...and six years later after getting his CGC (Canine Good Citizen) Certification.

Brogan's mother and father were either dumped by their owners or seized as the result of a dog fighting bust in the Los Banos shelter: the exact history is a bit unclear. From there the pair was rescued by Nancy Wartenbergh, a volunteer for Second Chance Rottweiler Rescue. Nearly a dozen puppies were born in Nancy's home in Woodside a short while later. The irony of going from a prospective short and brutal life as a canine warrior to being birthed in the Silicon Valley equivalent of Beverly Hills isn't lost on me and I often think how lucky Brogan was that Nancy decided to take on the daunting task of first time puppy mom.

Auntie Johanna comes to visit 10 week old baby Brogan...

... and poses with him at Bark in the Park in September 2009.

My first Rottie super hero, Duncan, had only passed away a couple months before Brogan was born. As a short-time volunteer for Second Chance I met Nancy and was eventually given first male pick of the litter and allowed to bring him home at only six weeks. His new pack consisted of Tavish, a six pound toy poodle of undetermined age who hated him on sight, and Jodhi, an eight year old pittie mix who became his defacto dog mom (thus earning her the enduring nickname "Mama Jodhi").

Hanging with Mama Jodhi at three months...

... and a typical Sunday afternoon with his Mama at Fort Funston (2007).

We were an odd little group. Jodhi was technically still a foster dog and I was still mourning my first Rottweiler, the incomparable Duncan. In many ways, getting another Rottie pup so soon was not at all fair to tiny Brogan. Despite me desperately wanting him to be the second coming of Duncan, Brogan proved to be his own dog. He hated to be held and growled if I insisted. He used Mama Jodhi as his personal couch and was the butt of vicious (if bloodless) wars initiated by tiny Tavish. He was afraid of garbage cans, then orange trees, then strollers, then bicycles. Unlike Duncan, who was frighteningly smart, Brogan seemed to only understand life if Mama Jodhi explained it to him. I got used to the permanent look of confusion on his face. Then again that could have been caused by his left eye not pointing the same direction as his right, one of his most endearing physical traits.

Traveling buddies (2007)

Brogan has had some other significant challenges, not the least of which was developing on-leash dog aggression around two years old. As someone who believes my Rottie should be an ambassador of the breed, this was tough for me to handle. Solution? Take him to every class I could find which involved Brogan on a leash around other dogs. Fun tricks, agility, canine freestyle (i.e. doggie dancing) and obedience, obedience, obedience: we've done it all. The fact that he is now a Service Dog and a test dog for new fosters coming into the rescue group for which I volunteer says it all: the combination of training, patience and time have made him one heck of an excellent dog despite his dog-fighting genetic background.

Brogan enjoyed lots of camping during 2008 living with Mike, Mimi, Clare and Milo.

This year has been a roller coaster for our pup. I came back from my trip in February of last year and he had to learn to live without another dog for the first time (Mama Jodhi passed away in December of 2008). I took him away from his friend Clare Dog and his adored Mike and Mimi in beautiful Incline Village (Lake Tahoe). Then almost immediately he needed major surgery (a TPLO aka knee replacement). After months of recovery with no play, walks, etc., we welcomed Miss Emma, chihuahua/terrier foster dog extraordinaire into our home. For Brogan it was LOVE and it was a joy to watch them romp and play. Brogan used to run circles around Mama Jodhi on the beach... the first time he did this with Emma brought tears to my eyes.

Brogan and I are still missing Emma.

Then on New Year's Eve 2009 another blow: Brogan had surgery for his SECOND knee, yet another TPLO and another strict regimen of no movement. No more romps with Emma, but at least she kept him company and he enjoyed watching her run and play in the house. Two weeks ago life changed again when Emma (now Winnie) was adopted. The first couple days Brogan was fine, then it dawned on him Emma wasn't coming back. Though outings as a Service Dog and his new training regimen has helped, he's not quite my goofy baby boy yet.

Just the two of us at Fort Funston.

Now I hope that Brogan is on the road to recovery where both his knee and his heart are concerned. He does really love to work and is still the most social dog I've ever seen. He just lights up in public. I'm very much looking forward to completing his training and going for our official ADI testing at Top Dog in Arizona soon. Despite the fact that seven years is considered geriatric in the Rottweiler breed, I hope that Brogan being a mutt of sorts (and a mere 75 lbs) will keep him going for years to come. By this time next year, I expect to have lots of stories to tell about Brogan riding the vaparettos in Venice and meeting the firehouse boat dog in Paris. Allons-y!

Overlooking our favorite trail at McNee Ranch in Montara.