Rottweiler

Rottweil is a town in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany, founded as a Roman settlement called Arae Flaviae around 73 CE. The name Rottweil may derive from rote Villa (red villa or red tile), referring to Roman roof tiles found at the site. The town was a market center for livestock in the Middle Ages, and butchers used large, powerful dogs to guard cattle and pull meat carts. These dogs became known as Rottweiler Metzgerhund — Rottweil butcher's dog.

The breed was nearly extinct by the mid-nineteenth century as cattle driving was replaced by railroads. Rottweilers had lost their primary job. The breed survived because it was adopted for police and military work in the early twentieth century. The first Rottweiler club was founded in Germany in 1914. The dogs' intelligence, strength, and trainability made them excellent working dogs, and the breed recovered.

Rottweilers arrived in the United States in the 1920s and became popular in the 1990s, briefly becoming the second-most registered breed with the American Kennel Club in 1997. The breed also acquired a reputation for aggression — media coverage of dog attacks disproportionately featured Rottweilers (and pit bulls). Breed-specific legislation in several countries has targeted Rottweilers.

The word 'rottweiler' has become a metaphor for aggressive tenacity. A 'rottweiler' lawyer or journalist is relentless, aggressive, and does not let go. The dog named after a small German town named after Roman roof tiles has become an English word for a certain kind of ferocity.