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Pasco Breeders' Rottweiler Impresses In Argentina

Tribune photo by JULIE BUSCH

Eve and Manson Johnson show off their prize rottweiler Djuke, who won Best in Show for the International Federation of Rottweilers at a show in Argentina.

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 23, 2008

LAND ’O LAKES - Djuke vom Vilstaler Land lounges in his parlor, armpit deep in the indoor pool. He digs for something unseen and ducks his basketball-size, black and tan head under the surface. Water swells and breaches the rim.

He rises, water and drool streaming from his maw. He's panting and it looks like a smile. Life couldn't be better for the 6-year-old Rottweiler who has risen to be the best in the world.

Djuke, all 117 pounds of toned muscle, is just getting over the jet lag of a flight to Buenos Aires over the weekend. There, he strutted, ran, sat still and stared, raking in the top three prizes in a contest among more than 300 other Rottweilers.

The show was sponsored by the Argentina Rottweiler Club and the International Federation of Rottweilers and included purebred dogs from all over the world, including Germany, where the breed originated and where Djuke's (pronounced Duke) great-great grandfather was from.

It wasn't his first brush with fame. All around the office and home of Eve and Manson Johnson on U.S. 41, just north of State Road 54, are trophies, ribbons, medals and photos stacked on more trophies and medals. Scores of medals are draped over door knobs and framed plaques.

"All this is since 1993," Eve Johnson says. "Everything before that was burned in the fire."

The fire nearly killed the Johnsons and destroyed their home. It was a Rottweiler that dragged Manson Johnson out of the house, and he was in the hospital for weeks. The dog, Janny, died a short time later.

Now Djuke, who woofs down more than two pounds of steak a day, is the favored dog from among some 15 prize Rottweilers, not including all the puppies under a year old, on the property.

The breeders closely monitor the bloodline. To be bred with this bloodline, a suitor must present records of generations past to prove its worth. It also must be certified by a veterinarian to be in perfect physical health.

The breeding has paid off with what looks like a superior animal that is healthy, possesses the temperament of a saint and, on average, lives longer than your normal Rottweiler.

Most Rottys live to be 9 years old, if lucky. Rottys in this bloodline average more than 13 years. And a recent family favorite, Champ, lived until he was older than 15. In fact, Champ won a show just a few weeks before he died, says Manson, and the dog was named best of breed at the 1997 Westminster Kennel Club dog show.

All the dogs here are kept in clean conditions and are treated with great care. After all, they are worth a pretty penny and some are sold to celebrities and sports stars. There is a waiting list of almost two years, and that's only if the buyer passes muster. Buyers plunk down a $500 deposit when they submit their request for a pup. A puppy ranges between $2,000 and $4,500.

The buyer is under contract to send photos of the dog every six months so the Johnsons can monitor the weight and assess whether the dog is being treated well. If not, they can take the dog back.

Manson tells one story about a dog that was sold to a man in Maryland. Later, the Johnsons found out that the Rottweiler was being used to guard a crack cocaine lab. Some local muscle was hired and went to Maryland and took the dog back, Johnson said.

But most dogs have it better. Dogs bred at the Johnson house have gone to sports stars such as Ken Griffey Jr. and former Buccaneers Shelton Quarles and Al Singleton. Griffey was so impressed, Manson Johnson says, that the star outfielder bought several for his Seattle Mariners teammates.

The breeding business, named Von Evman Rottweilers, is a hobby for the Johnsons, who have been married 25 years. Their day job is running Eve's Gardens, a gift shop and nursery on U.S. 41 that specializes in Bonsai trees.

Behind the nursery is the whelping area, where a herd of 3-week-old puppies are lounging. Out back is another group of 9-week-old puppies. The home and business sits on about five acres that include a huge fenced backyard where the puppies and adult dogs roam whenever they want. The Johnsons have been in the breeding business since the 1980s.

Universities have come and studied the methods and even done an autopsy on Champ to find out why he lived so long and why he was so healthy, Manson Johnson says.

The autopsy revealed that Champ, over his nearly 16 years of life, had contracted cancer six times, but that healthy cells had surrounded the cancer cells, isolating them and keeping them in check throughout his life.

Those cells are now being researched to see whether they can stem the spread of cancers, Manson Johnson says.

Black and tan dogs are everywhere here, but Djuke is clearly the favorite. After he won the best of show in Argentina, hundreds of people, including families, posed for photos with him, hugging and hanging all over the massive canine.

Having a top dog is gratifying for the Johnsons, who have been perfecting the bloodline for almost three decades.

"If this is our legacy in life," Manson Johnson says, "I guess this is a good life."

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760.

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