A pet owner has shared heartwarming footage showing the way one of her dogs makes sure his 12-year-old sibling doesn’t miss out.
Rachel Labidi has owned four Rottweilers in her life, but told Newsweek she considers Blue to be “the smartest” she’s had by far. “He is extremely loving towards us too,” she said.
Much of that may well be down to the unique environment Blue has grown up in alongside Vinnie, who came from the same litter, albeit in distressing circumstances.
“We got Blue at eight weeks old,” Labidi said. “The breeder contacted us when he was five months old saying his brother had returned to her and would we like him.”
TikTok/Rottiebrothers
Labidi happily took Vinnie in but quickly noticed something was wrong. “After vet checks and speaking to the breeder, we found out the people that had him from eight weeks to five months had abused him, causing a brain injury affecting one side,” she said.
Now aged two, Vinnie’s condition has improved a great deal though Labidi said he “still suffers with his breathing.” Thankfully, in Blue, Vinnie has the perfect canine companion to play with and run together.
Vinnie isn’t the only one who is thankful to have Blue around. Rottweilers come with a certain reputation. As Labidi puts it, there will always be people that see them as “nasty” and “aggressive.”
It’s a preconception that often makes it difficult for Rottweilers to get adopted from shelters. A 2021 study published in the journal Animals saw researchers identify the most common characteristics among long-term shelter dogs.
The majority were older, male, large in size and considered a “dangerous breed.”
According to data from the website dogsbite.org, between 2005 and 2017, Rottweilers killed 45 people in the U.S. That equated to 10.4 percent of the total dog attack fatalities in that period, second only to pit bulls which accounted for 65.6 percent (284 deaths) over the same timeframe.
However, Labidi believes this falls into the age old debate of nature vs nurture and the fact these breeds have been known to be trained to be aggressive by their owners. “They are a loving, loyal and smart breed,” she said. “It’s the humans, not the animals at fault.” She hopes the videos she posts to her TikTok channel, rottiebrothers, which chronicles the exploits of Blue and Vinnie, go some way to challenging that stereotype.
One recent clip certainly goes some way to doing that and has already been watched over 200,000 times. In the clip, Labidi can be heard asking Blue to get their other dog, her partner’s 12-year-old spaniel Pilot, who is “hard of hearing” to let him know that mom is home.
In the video, Blue can be seen briefly disappearing before returning with Pilot just behind. The senior pup clearly appreciates the heads up and can be seen excitedly charging towards Labidi as the video ends.
Labidi said Blue is capable of summoning pretty much anyone in the house for her. “If I ask him to go get Pilot or give him a kiss he will do,” she said. “He will go find Vinnie or my partner. He knows the difference of who he’s looking for.”
Though Labidi acknowledges that Blue can be protective of his home and humans, he’s also affectionate to his older sibling and is the glue that keeps their happy home of dogs together. “He will only go get him if I ask him to,” she said. “However, he goes to him several times during the day and gives him a nudge on his nose. I presume to say hello.”
There will always be those apprehensive about Rottweilers but Blue might be proof that, when paired with the right owner, the breed could offer something different from the negative stereotypes associated with it.
