She runs a rehab unit for incorrigible Rottweilers.

Seeking to protect themselves against soaring crime and violence, Angelenos have been buying up record numbers of Rottweiler puppies for as much as $1,500 a pup.

And breeders, eager to cash in, have been breeding Rotts as fast as they can to meet that strong demand.

The fallout from this scenario is that an increasing number of Rott owners, rather than being grateful for the added protection, are instead paying a San Fernando Valley woman to take the unruly full-grown dogs off their hands.

Dissatisfied dog owners are bringing the Rottweilers they don't want to Beverly Berger at the rate of 10 a week.

Berger operates the Sun Valley-based Rottweiler Rescue Service, which -- for about $100 per full-grown dog - takes the big, black-and-brown dogs their owners don't want any more. Berger either rehabilitates the dogs and finds new homes for them or puts them to sleep if they are aggressive and she can't change their behavior.

"I get (Rottweilers) from people calling me up, telling me they don't want them any more. (Owners say), 'They're too big, they bit me,'" Berger explains. She gets the dogs from dissatisfied owners in Beverly Hills, South Central Los Angeles and everywhere in between. She gets them from drug dealers and police officers.

Rottweiler breeding, fueled by the big bucks safety-craving Angelenos are willing to cough up for a ferocious companion, has reached a fever pitch in Los Angeles, according to Berger, as well as local dog trainers and dog breeders.

Robert Tappan, vice president of the Los Angeles Golden State Rottweiler Club, an organization of people who own and breed purebred Rottweilers, notes that 10 years ago most people didn't know what Rottweilers were. But by 1992, Rottweilers had become the second-most popular breed of canine in America, Tappan says. "They really became the hot breed about six or seven years ago," he says.

The Rottweiler puppy boom has been phenomenal in the past three years, according to the American Kennel Club, the national organization of dog breeders and owners which registers pure-bred dogs. In order to register a puppy, both of the parents must already be registered with the AKC, Tappan notes.

In 1990, exactly 60,471 new Rottweiler puppies were registered nationwide with the AKC. In 1991, that number grew to 76,889, and in 1992, there were 95,445 registered.

In 1992, the only breed with more registrations than Rottweilers were Labrador Retrievers, according to the AKC.

At Los Angeles County dog pounds, Rottweilers were an extreme rarity four or five years ago, says Kaye Michelson, spokeswoman for L.A. County Animal Control. Now the county gets "five or six" stray Rottweilers a week.

"People are breeding these animals, and we are seeing the result here," Michelson says.

In crime-ridden Los Angeles, the dogs, which have a ferocious bark, a powerful bite and may weigh up to 125 pounds, have been selling.

The problem is that most people "don't know how much dog they're buying," Berger says. And dog owners who aren't "vigilant" in training the rambunctious and demanding Rotts will soon find out "the dog takes charge," Berger warns.

While Berger typically takes in about 10 Rotts a week, on one day last month she was in possession of 24 Rottweilers -- all she could keep at her Sun Valley house and board at nearby pet hotels. She also had seven Rott owners on a waiting list to hand over their dogs.

Most of these owners are people who paid big bucks for the puppies but now find they can't handle the 100- to 125-pound dogs.

"Almost all" of the dogs have "papers," or a registration document from the American Kennel Club, Berger says.

About 90 percent of the people now paying to unload their dogs had paid big money for the puppies -- typically $500 to $800 each, although she recalls once getting a dog the owner had bought for $4,000, Berger says.

A couple of years ago, breeders routinely got $1,500 for Rottweiler puppies, but the market is saturated and the price has fallen since then, she says.

Berger, who has been "rescuing" Rottweilers since the mid-1980s, says she is now beginning to see people dumping whole litters of purebred Rotts that they can't sell.

Tappan of the Golden State Rottweiler Club confirms that Rottweiler pups are typically selling for $500 to $800 apiece these days, and only "a very good show puppy" fetches $1,500.

People are buying them for protection, Tappan says. "They're rather formidable looking. They have a very large head. They have a very strong and intent gaze. They bite hard. They bite harder than any other breed."

Ron Berman, a dog trainer in Manhattan Beach, says Rottweilers are the tough dogs of the 1990s.

"Back in the '70s, everyone was terrified of Dobermans. You saw them in the movies, on 'Magnum P.I.'" he says. In the 1980s, Pit Bulls took center stage as the ferocious dog of choice, Berman says. Now it's Rottweilers.

"There is a lot of violence here, and people feel if they have a dog, they can be protected," he says. But for people who don't have the time or the knowledge to train a big, smart, naturally aggressive dog, "it's like bringing a monster into the house," Berman says.

"This is a breed that can be wonderful and can be downright scary," says Dany Canino, a Canoga Park-based dog trainer and Rottweiler owner.

An owner must let the Rottweiler know from the start who the head of the household is, Canino advises.

"What people don't understand is that dogs are pack animals," Canino says. "When you bring them into your home, they think they are in a pack, and they look for the Alpha dog. If no one steps forward, they think they are the Alpha dog."

People who want to own Rottweilers should be willing to invest time with the dog, Canino says.

Berger agrees. "I think most people would be better off with a Golden Retriever or a Lab. I'm not saying that Rottweilers can't be nice family pets. You just have to be vigilant."

Berger adds that Rottweilers are a breed that certain people just can't handle. "It's tragic that they became so popular."