Rottweilers can be friends, therapy dogs, too Wednesday, February 17, 1999 By Linda Wilson Fuoco When Judy Gates saw a big black and tan dog wandering in a North Hills shopping center parking lot on a cold, January night, she was sad. The dog had no collar, its head was hanging down and it had that scared, lost look that tugs at the heartstrings of dog lovers. Gates hesitated for only a second.