Stanhope,  New Jersey. 

Julie oversees  sales operations for several of the family’s showrooms and Allie is often by her side.

Ten years ago Julie was in search of a Golden, but her husband brought home Allie instead.

“Thank God!”, says Julie, adding that having Allie come into her life was one of the best things that ever happened to her.  Now Julie is a true fan of the breed, having developed a love and appreciation for the Rottweiler.

Since she was  a puppy,  the beloved Allie came to work everyday with her owners, meeting and greeting customers in the showroom. Customers adore meeting Allie!

In addition to her duties as a greeter, Allie also helps with company recycling efforts by shredding  cardboard - another fun job!And at 10 years old, Julie says Allie has the energy of a puppy!

Imagine - a  car dealership that’s not just dog friendly, but Rottie Friendly!  Well, now we know where to shop!

Julie says of her Rottweiler, Allie, “I love her so much!”  Julie  - we couldn’t agree more Rottweilers are the best dogs on the planet! 

If you own a :

• Confirmation Dog - Include a WIN photo of you and your dog, ribbons or trophies and sign the card, “Proud Owner of an AKC Champion (breed)
• Performance Titled Dog - Include a photo of your dog(s) duck hunting or herding sheep and sign the card, “Proud Owner Of A Field Trial Champion” or  “Proud Working Partner Of A (Title/Event)”
• Certified CGC - Include a photo of you and your dog and a copy of your certificate.  Sign the card, “Proud Owner Of A Canine Good Citizen”
• Therapy Dog - Include a photo of your dog with a senior citizen, hospitalized child or shut in.  Sign the card, “Proud Owner Of A Certified Therapy Dog - Bringing Joy To (Children, Senior Citizens or The Disabled or Shut Ins)”
• Tracking/Search and Rescue Dog - Include a photo of you and your dog (preferably in uniform or working). Sign the card “Proudly Serving (City/County or State) with Search and Rescue Efforts”
• Service Dog - Include a photo of you and your dog.   Sign the card, “Blessed with the service of (Fluffy), My Service Dog and Constant Companion “
• Reading Program or School Dog - Include a photo of your dog with children.   Sign the card, “Proudly Helping Children To Read Better”
• Agility Dog - Include a photo of your dog (in action too!).  Sign the card, “Proud Owner Of An Active Agility Dog” 
• Shelter Dog - Include a photo of your dog.  Sign the card, “Proud Owner Of An Adopted Dog”
• Puppy Buyers – Include a photo of your dog.  Sign the card, “Proud Owners Of  A (breed) purchased through a responsible breeder”

Your holiday greetings are important to the future of dog ownership.  Remember -ALWAYS use the term “Owner”  - NEVER use the terms “guardian or caretaker”.

SPECIAL NOTE! You can also write in at the bottom of the card “My Dog Votes!”

Help keep this holiday season merry and bright for good dogs everywhere and take part in the ARC/DPCA Holiday Card Challenge!

Wishing You and Yours a Dog Friendly Holiday Season!

on Sunday to put her down, many of those people dropped whatever they were doing in order to be there

Dino would have been 11 on Nov. 5. Over the last few weeks, she had been in and out of the vet’s office with health problems, from blindness to a bum leg. However, it was the vet’s discovery of a massive growth near her heart that prompted the decision to lay to her to rest.

Without a doubt, the hardest part about Dino’s death was that Rob, her devoted owner of more than 10 years, was unable to be there. You see, Rob is training in Mississippi with his Navy Seabee unit in preparation for a deployment to Iraq. All he could do was say goodbye to Dino through a cell phone, which Nicholle held to Dino’s ear at the vet’s office. Her eyes lit up when she heard the voice of her beloved “dad.”

Rob received Dino as a puppy from his ex-wife, Chris, and over the years Dino saw Rob through all of life’s ups and downs. Her favorite things to do were stick her head out the window on car rides and eat ice off the floor of the bay at the fire station, where Rob worked.

Dino quickly befriended the other firefighters, who always had a rolled up towel and a game of tug-of-war waiting when she came to the station. All the guys knew how much she meant to Rob.

Myself and the rest of Rob’s and Nicholle’s friends spent most of this week swapping stories about Dino; like the one about when she once accompanied Rob to the fire station.

One of Rob’s co-workers, Jason, had never met Dino until that day, and it just so happened that Rob and his partner got a call and had to leave Dino at the station just as Jason was arriving.

You really can’t blame Dino for “protecting” her fire station. She refused to let Jason into the building until he managed to crawl to the refrigerator and grab some bologna. She and Jason were good friends after that - as long as Jason kept feeding her bologna. Rob came back to the station to find Jason and Dino sitting on the couch, a steady stream of lunchmeat passing between them.

Other Dino stories were more poignant, like the one about how she got Nicholle over her childhood fear of big dogs. As a young girl, Nicholle attended Girl Scout meetings at a neighbor’s house. Each time she arrived, she was bowled over by the family’s four big dogs, and not surprisingly developed a fear of large canines.

Dino changed all that with her sweet personality. Nicholle said Dino always thought she was a lap dog, despite her 125-pound frame. Rottweilers often get a bad rap due to their fearsome look and natural protective instincts, but Dino was a walking PR campaign for the breed. She was smart, loyal and gentle, and got along well with Nicholle’s three cats, Moose, George and Misty.

They say all dogs go to Heaven. I am privileged to be able to say that I knew one of its newest angels.

(Emily Goodson is the assistant editor of the Tribune & Georgian and a regular Friday columnist.)

It worked.

“She reacted out of her natural instinct,” said Scott Vernier, a member of the rock band, The Dream. “It was pretty scary that night.”

The Verniers rushed to the second floor of the house where Christina’s mother, Laverna Oak, resides and everyone was able to safely evacuate the home without any injuries.

“She knew something was wrong and she did her best to tell us,” Christina Vernier said of her dog.

Scott Vernier said he was also impressed with Mount Clemens firefighters.

“It’s pretty amazing to see firefighters walking into a burning building to help complete strangers,” he said.

While a jovial mood prevailed at Monday’s gathering, the Verniers still have yet to return to their burned-out home. They are renting a place until they can get back into their own home, which is undergoing repairs.

And Shipman said the situation underscores the critical need to have working smoke detectors on every level of the home.

“Without this dog’s quick actions, no one may have gotten out alive,” he said.

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