"Motley"
February 22, 1990 - April 1, 1999
On February 22, 1990, Princess Ebony Almondee, a name chosen by "Grandma" VanSach,
was born at the home of breeder, Martha Washington in Detroit, Michigan. Eight weeks later, when
she came home with us, we immediately gave her the call name "Motley", as she was. While not outstanding,
her pedigree included such dogs as Champion Falco v h Brabantpark. At that time, we lived near Baltimore,
Maryland, as Tom was serving in the U.S. Army Military Police Corps locally and in Washington D.C.
Within weeks of her arrival, the unimaginable happened. Motley was attacked by one of two
unattended adult German Shepherds, leaving her face scarred. Any hopes we had had to show her in
conformation were lost. So, we concentrated on obedience, training with Robert E. Reese in Baltimore, Maryland.
Motley was a standout in her class and completed her advanced obedience certificate in July 1991. Because of
Tom's schedule, the Persian Gulf War, and an 18 month tour in South Korea, we had never made it to an AKC
obedience trial, but she could have earned her CD if campaigned. Although, it was not overly important to us
at the time, we just felt blessed to have such a wonderful girl!
After being OFA certified in spring of 1992, Motley was bred to Cerberus's Enoch Von Eppo,
or "Jake", a very nice working police K-9. On May 6, 1992, she gave birth to 4 male and 5 female puppies, which
we raised with delight. Motley was an excellent mother. All the puppies were placed in good homes, some being
shipped as far as Georgia. Motley was spayed soon after. We had only planned to have the one litter and hoped
to lessen the chance of health problems later in life.
On September 5, 1998, after nearly a year of showing progressive signs, Motley was diagnosed
with bone cancer of her right shoulder. During the summer of 1997 Motley had begun limping. After examining
her, our vet at that time diagnosed her with arthritis. We accepted the doctor's evaluation and were simply
advised to give Motley Bayer aspirin for the pain, as needed. Some time later it became obvious that the Bayer
was no longer effective and swelling began. We returned to the vet and asked for x-rays, which did not change
their diagnosis. We were then given a prescription for pain and anti-inflammatory medication. And later,
stronger prescriptions, but we had finally heard enough from this vet and asked to be referred to a specialist.
We saw the specialist within the week (September 5, 1998) and he discovered the cancer. It was obviously quite
advanced by then and had likely spread, so we were given two choices: amputate the leg and start chemotherapy
immediately, which may not have extended her life much, if at all; or just spend some quality time with her,
making her as comfortable as possible. It was an extremely tough decision, but we chose the later. Motley
was a trooper and made the best of it. She lived happily and productively as if nothing were wrong (except
for that limp) for eight months. On April 1, 1999 we made the even more difficult decision, following a
quick and drastic decline in her health.
Our first Rottweiler, Motley taught us a lot. We learned from her what animals are truly
capable of and what unconditional love really is. Now, we could never even consider owning another breed
of dog. Motley was an Ambassador and we truly miss her.
See ya at the Bridge...
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