Marius, without hesitation it is him.

My gorgeous Smiley-Weiler



He came into my life when I was at my lowest ebb and changed it for the better. I had lost my Mum & Ozzy within hours of each other on the same day, 31.01.07. Ozzy bit Sid that day, we will never know why, perhaps he picked up on my grief, or maybe it was an underlying problem he had that surfaced who knows. It was an unprovoked & deliberate bite & we had no option but to have him PTS.

It was the hardest day of my life and I couldn't cope. I spiralled into a depression which I couldn't shake myself out of. Sid was working away a lot & spent many hours crying each day. It was a very dark place.

Because my head wasn't right, I couldn't face having another dog & I was adamant if we ever did get one, it wasn't going to be another Rottie, because of what had happened. I had lost my faith in the breed, which I never would have thought could happen (Ozzy was our second Rottie, Brandy our first lived to 10.5yrs & was an amazing character!). Sid however, he felt the opposite - he was determined to get another Rottie to prove to both of us that it wasn't the fault of the breed, just the action of an indivdual dog. More importantly, he knew I needed some sort of distraction to jolt me out of this black hole I had ended up in.

Eventually, he talked me around & we contacted a breeder we knew who didn't have any current litters, but recommended someone who had used his stud dog & had a current litter. We travelled all the way to Lancaster for him. It was the best journey we could ever have made.

Marius makes me beam with pride, he has the softest nature you could wish for. He adores people & dogs - getting down on the floor to small dogs & puppies and allowing them to get confident with him. He is very well known locally, even the neighbours kids tell their friends not be scared as "it's only Marius"! LOL He has helped to change so many peoples opinions on Rotties and I am so glad I didn't turn my back on the breed. Sid was right.

He has a huge personality, yes he has his faults he hates traffic, has an obsession with pulling off branches/stems from my garden & has done since he was a puppy! He gets too overexcited when he sees his best buddies Max & Marley. But, these little quirks are all part of what makes him so special.

I always feel a part of Ozzy lies within him, like a second chance was sent. I wrote a poem a long time ago about it that some of you won't have read. I think it says it all.

http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php...t=tribute+ozzy

I'll have to stop typing this now as I'm getting a bit choked up, which is what always happens when I think about that day