"What are those?", my friend asked rhetorically the other night. "Why, those are testicles.", was the obvious answer. She was looking at the backside of Frank.
We found Frank several months ago wandering down 5th Avenue and made a valiant two-week effort to find his rightful owner. We knew someone really missed him because when we found the year-old Rottweiler he had a collar (no tags or ID chip), a streak of white paint on his back, a freshly shampooed coat, and a Labrador's disposition. But the other things he came with included a tail, which the breed usually gets relieved of after birth... and testicles. Frank is all male.
Frank is the fourth Rottweiler we have owned over the years. He joins a petite female Rottie we received from a rescue organization several years ago and our other "volunteer" dog: a Pekingnese, who keeps the Rottweilers in line. We have two cats in the yard as well.
As is the norm here in our neighborhood and city, we have dutifully made the trip to the vet to have each animal we have ever acquired spayed or nuetered within weeks of their arrival. It's just that Frank arrived at a time when we had other priorities - so he proudly prances around possessing every body part that God gave him. I feel no great urge to get him castrated... here's my thinking.
The reason every pet owner within a square mile of our house has had their pets 'fixed' is presumably to keep them from doing what comes naturally. Because local 'spay/neuter' campaigns have been so successful over the years, the only animal Frank could possibly do the deed with might be some neighbor's gerbil or the occasional opossum that shows up around here. In other words - his prospects are slim to none. So what's the point? The only heat Frank will likely ever sense is the type that settles in over Greensboro this time of year.
In addition, Frank is providing the neighborhood with an education. My friend who was inquisitive about Frank's gonads wasn't the first to notice. Because we are real short on farm animals herabouts, I have noticed more than a few of the neighborhood children stare at Frank's backside with puzzlement because they have never seen dangly parts on a dog (or elsewhere probably). I'm sure that once some of the little girls who frequent our house have studied Frank's testicle spectacle, they have gone home and meakly asked their Moms what is up with that. Frank is a public service Rottweiler.
I'm sure that in time we will get the boy fixed if for no other reason than to conform with what has evolved into societal norms of inner-city pet ownership. But, for the time being, if you feel the need to provide your children with a 'teachable moment'... come see Frank.
8:09:02 AM 
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