Each and every one of Rotterbarental's German Shepherd dogs and puppies that we sell are special and have a job that they perform for their families. Whether it is to be a guardian and protector of their family & home, companionship, unconditional love or all of the above. They are all so very special and are considered important and an integral member of their family. This page is dedicated to a few pups and dogs that we have donated or sold that have had extra special jobs and provide a service to people that have special needs. I hope you enjoy reading about these 6 incredible Rotterbarental GSD stories below.
McKeever was the last of 4 German Shepherd puppies that we have donated to The Guide dogs of the Desert through our years of breeding GSDs.. In order to become a guide dog, first the puppies have to possess the right temperament, social skills and have a desire to please. They have to be confident, loyal and focused. Once the Guide Dog of The Desert Evaluated and chose McKeever out of several pups, they determined that for her age that she possessed those qualities that she would need in-order to continue on her journey into becoming a guide dog. However it is a long path and process and McKeever would have much ahead of her before she would actually be able to perform the task necessary in- order to become a guide dog.
For the next 18 months McKeever lived with a volunteer puppy raiser family where McKeever learned much the same things that any of our puppies learn when they go to their new families. But with the extra added benefit of being able to go into public places schools, restaurants, grocery stores etc. If she does well with the puppy raiser family and passes all the health certification testing required (such as Hips/elbows etc.), she then goes on to the next phase of her training.
McKeever now will be living at the training facility where she will be entering the finale phases of her training to become a guide dog. These will be the most difficult phases of the training where not every dog will make the grade. This phase takes 8-11 months and if all goes well, McKeever will be able to provide safe mobility, loving companionship and the “miracle of independence for a blind recipient
In November of 2013 McKeever successfully completed her guide dog training and has been matched with her blind person. They trained together at the Guide Dogs of the Desert campus and graduated on Sunday, November 24th. 2013. For more details and info on McKeevers journey, please click McKeevers Journey. The Guide Dog of the Desert is always in need of donation or voluntary puppy raiser.
Mercedes was the 2nd German shepherd puppy that we donated to The Guide Dogs of the Desert. She was out of our dog Porsche, a very beautiful intelligent, loyal and obedient dog. We always thought it was cute that the guide dog people named Porsche’s daughter, “Mercedes”. Mercedes successfully completed Guide dog training and graduated April 14th 2001 with her Blind recipient Thereasa. We attended Mercedes graduation and took photos but unfortunately we lost all photos when our computer crashed.
A Big thanks to McKeever, Mercedes and all the guide dogs that have given independence to the blind.
Sedona (Her name was changed to Gypsy by the recipient) was an adult dog that we donated directly to a young women who was a victim of a violent crime. Unfortunately all photos of Sedona were lost when our computer crashed. Below is the victim’s story written in her own words. She was not comfortable publicly releasing her name so that is why she only placed her initials
“I was badly sexually abused by three different members of my family as a child and as a result I ended up in foster care with severe psychiatric problems. One of them was the beginnings of agoraphobia-the fear of being out in crowds or open spaces. “
“I continued to struggle through life until, in college, I was raped twice and assaulted a third time. Because of this I became afraid to leave the house period, unless it was with my roommate or someone else I trusted, and I became very depressed. Because of the depression, I also began to eat, and I ate myself all the way up to 442lbs.”
“In late 2001, I found out about a program called Service Dogs For Victims of Assault, or SDVA, in which they give protection-trained German Shepherd Dogs to victims of rape, stalking, or assault that have resulting psychiatric problems. Well, I qualified, but didn't have four or five hundred dollars to buy a dog.”
“I subscribed to as many dog magazines as I could and began calling breeders all over the United States, explaining my situation and asking if there was any way they would consider donating a dog to me. All I got was "No, No, No", until I called Dee Ann Noland at Rotterbarental German Shepherds. She said she had a young female dog that she could donate to me, if I could promise to give her a good home. I jumped at that offer and drove two hours North to pick gypsy up within the same week.”
“Although Gypsy and I are still in training, I feel safe enough with her around that I can leave the house and go anywhere, day or night, all by myself. I started school again, and am much less depressed. Best of all, I am happy to say I lost most of the weight I had gained-I am now under two hundred pounds!”
“If it weren't for Dee Ann and Gypsy, I truly don't know where I'd be-locked up on the back ward of some mental institution probably. I am truly indebted to Dee Ann for her donation to me and SDVA. No one else was willing to help me, and I am so grateful. Thank you, Dee Ann for your generosity and kindness and for the beautiful black and red shepherd you gave me. It has made all the difference in the world.”
“Thank you,
EVF”
A Big Thanks to Sedona (Gypsy) for helping EVF feel safe and secure again.
Loki was purchased from us to be trained to become a Bomb detection dog by a guy named Allan who had recently been discharged from the military. While in the military Allan had handled and trained military dogs, specifically bomb detection dogs. So once he was discharged he wanted to pursue that same line of working with dogs. Allan did not end up training Loki in explosives,(which was a great relief to me) but did train him to be a SAR (Search & Rescue) Cadaver dog. He also passed his SCH I. They did SAR work in many states, sometimes doing state and federal work and sometimes private contracts where they continued to search after the initial search was called off for one reason or another. They later did search work for the public Safety Dept as you can see in the photos. The photos are of the chief of that department who wanted himself on the website with Loki, so they did that photoshoot with him. Allan and Loki also did lots of bounty hunting through the years. The same chief of the public Safety Dept, did bounty hunting on the side, and would include Loki and Allan on his recoveries more often than not. For more photos of Loki click this link Loki’s Photos
A big Thanks to Allan and Loki for their service to our country.
Justice was purchased from us by a Superior Court Judge named Judy (no not the Peoples Court Judge Judy). With the owner being a Judge it only made sense that they would name him Justice. Our friend was the court clerk who worked under Judge Judy. On occasion the Judge would bring Justice to work with her and he would go into the court room and hang out in the Judge’s chambers. My favorite joke was “finally Justice in court”. The Judges husband was retired police detective, so he decided to train Justice and go through a program that would enable Justice to become a certified Therapy dog through Create a Smile (an organization that trains and certifies dogs to be able to visit children with cancer in hospitals). The children get to spend time with Justice and are given a photo of Justice with the child. It is a known fact that these dogs help aid in the recovery of sick patients.
A big thanks to Justice for doing his part in aiding in the recovery of children with cancer.
Hugo was purchased by a couple who wanted to train him to do search and rescue (SAR). The husband was waiting to get a lung transplant but even so they were going to start Hugo on his path to become a search and rescue dog. I received regular photos and updates on Hugo and his progress on his journey. I Contacted Debi in 2018 to see if she would mind if I used Hugo’s story on our dogs with Jobs page and this was her response
Hi Dee Ann,
So good to hear from you!
I would be delighted to let you use Hugo’s story on your web page. He did progress in his training to be a SAR dog and was a fabulous “student” tracker. He indeed has a tenacious play drive, which is a quality necessary for SAR dogs. He loves children and has always loved to play hide and seek with our grandchildren. They used to accuse him of peeking before they were hidden. Hugo loves to swim, so Tom thought he might train Hugo to specialize in water recovery. German Shepherds can detect a body below water over 100 ft. down. Tom just wasn’t well enough to put the time into it after his transplant. He was hospitalized 30 times over a 5 year period.
We noticed Hugo was an especially sensitive dog when he was just a young puppy. He was extremely easy to train because he wants so much to please. We left him with a trainer who worked on his hand signals while Tom was recuperating from the transplant, and they too expressed surprise at how "in tune" Hugo was to both people and other dogs who were suffering. Because we got him when Tom was still waiting for the transplant, he spent his first 6 months in Tom’s constant presence and would snuggle up to him any time he coughed or seemed to be in distress. To this day, if anyone says the word “ouch” he will whimper and do his best to give kisses and snuggles! In Tom’s final months, Hugo laid on the floor next to his bed and would occasionally “check” on him and give kisses. After Tom’s death, Hugo mourned for over 3 months, checking his bed, waiting at the door, moping and turning down food. If I cried, he cried. He still doesn’t like it when I leave.
Tom and I both felt bad that we were never able to give Hugo a chance at search and rescue, considering his obvious talents, but as we looked back over the 6 years of Hugo’s life with us, we recognized that he has been a tremendous blessing to both of us. While he never made it to field work, he did turn out to be a wonderful therapy dog! He is funny, sensitive, intelligent and devoted. He continues to be very protective of me and is a joy and comfort to my heart. Coming home to such a happy, enthusiastic greeting as he gives goes a long way in lifting my spirits! I can’t even imagine what it would be like without his loving ways at such a time as this!
One of the funny things Hugo likes to do is sit on the couch next to us like this. Not the “typical” dog position! For more photos click Hugos Photos
A big thanks to Hugo for providing Tom and Debi the Love & Comfort they needed during their times of sickness and struggles
Special thanks to the individuals and families that allowed me to post their special stories on this page for everyone to read. I hope you enjoy them.