Article Source: The Miami Herald
MIAMI-DADE FLA.
Rottweiler famed for rescues to appear at Miami dog show
BY: ANDREA MOSCOSO
Herald Writer
Many people would think twice before approaching the 100 pounds of power, muscle and teeth of a Rottweiler named Gunner.
But far from being a monster, this gentle giant is a hero.
Gunner, along with his handler John Randall, are a search-and-rescue team from Oklahoma that has worked sites ranging from ground zero in New York to the site of the Oklahoma City bombing.
Gunner and Randall are special guests at the Greater Miami Dog Show, which runs Friday through Sunday at the Miami-Dade Fair & Expo Center, 10901 Coral Way.
The show is presented by the Greater Miami Dog Club, along with the Gulfstream Rottweiler Club of Greater Miami and the Saint Bernard Club of South Florida.
On Friday, Randall and Gunner will be honored by the Gulfstream Rottweiler Club of Greater Miami.
''What you see in Gunner is what the breed is,'' says Randall as he describes his Rottweiler as a friendly, loyal and confident dog that rises in all situations and craves human attention.
Grace Acosta, the Greater Miami Dog Club president, show chairman and a breeder of Rottweilers, could not agree more.
''They are the closest to being human-like that I have seen in any dog,'' Acosta says of her animals.
She describes them as attentive, loyal, highly intelligent, calculating animals that love kids and are more like family pets than guard dogs.
''They crave human contact,'' says Acosta, explaining that because of their size these dogs are mistaken for outdoor guard dogs, ``and they really are family pets.''
Randall and Gunner are not the only heroes being celebrated this weekend.
Eleven local search-and-rescue teams also will be presented with plaques.
''This will be the first time the community recognizes the work done by the Search and Rescue Teams of South Florida,'' said Acosta. ``And what better place to do it than on the Miami Dog Show.''
Besides celebrating local and nationwide heroes, the show will feature fierce competition. This year, 800 canines will go nose to nose and tail to tail to be the best in show.
There will be a conformation competition, which is where the dogs parade while strutting their stuff, and an obedience competition where pooches show what they are made of through obstacle courses and exercises.
''This show is an opportunity for the general public to see what a purebred looks like,'' says Acosta.
Article Source: The Miami Herald
