Although not documented, it is believed the Rottweiler is the descendant of a Mastiff type dog. Going all the way back to the Roman empire, the Rottweiler's ancestor dogs (referred to as Drovers), were used by the Roman army for herding and protection of livestock through treacherous mountains in Europe, sustaining the army's food supply.
Around the 12th century, hundreds of years after the Romans were ousted, the city of Rottweil in southern Germany became a boom town. With cattle as the main commerce, butchers concentrated on the Drovers for pulling their meat carts and herding. After the sale of meat, Butcher's would put their money purse around their Rottweilers neck for safekeeping. The Rottweilers future was secured for hundreds of years.
By the middle of the 1800's railroads and donkeys replaced dog carting and the now called Rottweiler almost became extinct. It wasn't until 1901 with the help of interested parties, that the Rottweiler was saved in part due to a newly formed (but short lived) Rottweiler and Leonberger Club. By the 1920's the Germans had formed a Allgemeiner Deutscher Rottweiler Klub (ADRK) club from the many rogue clubs around at the time. Ten years later the AKC accepted the breed as a standard and the Rottweiler became the 4th recognized breed in the AKC.
The nationally formed clubs, the German Police and even the army's use of Rottweilers, all helped secure the future during the early part of the 20th century. Rottweilers were even used during the first and second World Wars as messengers and guard dogs. Currently they are used as search and rescue, assistance, guide dogs for the blind, guard and police dogs and of course, as wonderful, family loving pets.