A beautiful space set aside in our community for owners to come together to enjoy the freedom of allowing our dogs to play and explore offlead, giving owners time to socialize, relax and reflect.



Rusty's Story as told by Rusty's mom at the Park Dedication on September 10, 2010

Remember the Rolling Stones song “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try, sometimes you’ll find you get what you need.” I started out just wanting a basic good, faithful dog. Instead, I got so much more than I wanted: a once-in-a-lifetime dog I named Rusty, a dog I didn’t even dare dream of, but one that would forever change our lives and reinforce a lifelong passion for animals of all species.

For the first time in my adult life when we lived in a remote area along the Sonoma coast, I finally had the time and enthusiasm to get and train a dog. Mike travelled extensively as a management consultant those days and told me up front that it would be YOUR dog as he wasn’t all that keen on getting what would turn out to be a large dog. It had been 23 years since I last owned a dog. I didn’t have a clue which breed I wanted nor how to train a dog.

One day, however, I spotted a dog sitting outside my local health food store, looking inside waiting intently for his owner to reappear. He wasn’t even tied up. I said a few words to the dog, he acknowledged me, but it was clear that he had a job to do: look after his owner. That was the dog for me! His owner came out and I asked her about her dog as I couldn’t remember ever having seen this breed before and learned that he was Rottweiler. Tucking that piece of information into my head, I set out to learn as much as I could about the breed and what I needed to do to be a responsible Rottweiler owner.

As I told friends and the veterinarian of our two elderly cats that I was going to get a Rottweiler . . . many expressed alarm and concern. Why a Rottweiler? When I learned that there was a going to be a well-bred litter of puppies two counties away bred by a veterinarian, I had to go and check it out. After I met the mother (Fresca) and interacted with this breeder's other dogs, I was hooked. The breeder told me that Fresca's ancestry included a number of narcotics and Schutzhund police dogs. After the puppies were whelped, I made two more trips to get to know the litter and learn more about this breed I had chosen. When it came time for the pups to leave their mother at 8 weeks, with Mike driving, I cradled my precious bundle of joy on the way home (the one with the heart-shaped mark on his butt), knowing he would break my heart one day. That’s just part of sharing life with a dog.
Setting out to train my new puppy, we went to obedience classes regularly and I worked with him at home, pretty much using the training methods of the Monks of New Skete, which at this later time in my life seem fairly heavy handed. After a while, several people in the obedience class commented that I should think about taking a conformation class with him. I didn’t even have a clue as to what conformation was, but I thought, why not? I trained with him for several months and then entered him in a match at six months. He easily won his breed and went into the group ring. He didn't win group, but the judge who gave him the breed, called over to me as we were leaving the grounds and told me I had an exceptional dog and to keep showing him.

The rest is history. Rusty wasn’t just my best buddy, but he was turning out to be one of the top-ranked Rottweilers in the country, eventually winning 34 Best of Breed, numerous Group wins.

At the Rottweiler Nationals in 2000 (shown at left), he won a Select Award along with his daughter, Misty, taking Best of Winners after we had put on another herding "leg." This was all very overwhelming for someone who still couldn't quite believe her luck to be paired with such a great dog.

When I received an invitation asking him to compete in the Westminster Kennel Club show, I was blown away, then horribly disappointed as I realized we couldn’t attend because we were moving that February.

Though he obviously favored being a competitor in the show ring, I was most proud that he and I competed in the obedience ring to an advanced obedience title and we also garnered two legs on a sheep herding title before he sustained an injury to his neck. Through that injury, I became interested in holistic treatments for not only my dog, but for Mike and myself. After treatment, he was back in the ring again at the Palm Springs show almost 9 years old and won two more Best of Breed under some fairly stiff competition.

One of my favorite memories was when I rented a small motor home and he and I went on a week’s vacation in the Sierra Foothills by ourselves. Never did I feel safer or in better company. We had a blast and he would make me laugh whenever I got out of the vehicle and he'd jump into the driver's seat to let folks know that HE was fully in charge.

His regular show handler, Gary Steele well-known for boxers, said Rusty had a presence about him that let those around know he was there, but never posed a threat. He rarely barked at anyone or other dogs; he would just stand and look . . . that was enough. People would tell me they were afraid of Rottweilers and I certainly understood because they are very powerful dogs and in the wrong hands and without training can be dangerous, but he won over many people in his lifetime with his good nature and delightful humor.

I could take him anywhere and feel confident he wouldn’t do things to embarrass me or those around. On one other memorable trip, we paid a visit to a good friend who had met him before. As it turned out she was in the hospital in upstate New York and was very disappointed she wouldn't be able to see him. With a pair of sunglasses for me accompanied by an obedient dog, I knew we could manage. The hospital didn’t even know he was there until after we left.

When he developed osteosarcoma (bone cancer) at almost 10 years old, both Mike and I panicked. At a loss as to what to do, we did everything the specialists recommended . . . some treatments to our deep regret. At the end, he taught us much about death and dying.

Thank you for letting me share my special boy with you. It is my hope that each dog that comes into the park will enjoy “Rusty’s Place” and that it will forever be a place of inspiration and much happiness. He would have loved being here . . .  As fundraising chair, I am so grateful to this special community and individuals outside Rarity Bay who donated to make this park a reality and to those who carry out its purpose and plan.

May God Bless this Park and all those who will use it.