North East Rottweiler Rescue & Referral, Inc. was established by Dale Green Young, Denise Muccioli and MaryAnn Grim in February 1998. Dale and Denise had been receiving many phone calls from shelters and Rottweiler owners who were looking to find good homes for unwanted Rottweilers. Dale and Denise realized there were very few people in New England willing to go into shelters to evaluate Rottweilers for placement. The large volume of phone calls demonstrated a tremendous need for an organized Rottweiler Rescue in the Northeast.

Dale and Denise believed the integrity of the Rottweiler breed, as well as the safety of both the public and Rottweilers depends on responsible ownership. Seeking avenues to educate Rottweiler owners by referral, Dale and Denise discovered very few resources existed for educating and training an owner who had a problem Rottweiler. Instead of finding help they needed, many frustrated and overwhelmed Rottweiler owners were abandoning their dogs in shelters. Dale and Denise, with MaryAnn's help created the foundation upon which NERR&R was built. NERR&R's foundation goal was and continues to be filling this educational and rescue void.