How German Shepherds earned the title of “freedom defenders”

The German Shepherd dog breed dates back to the 1890’s where it worked as a herding and farm dog. According to the German Shepherd Dog Club of America (GSDCA), the very first registered German Shepherd Dog in Germany was a “working sheepherder, requiring no training other than direction and finish to become proficient at the task.”

GSDs were prized for their “utility and intelligence” and later used heavily in the World Wars, demonstrating their trainability, loyalty and courage.

These four-legged freedom defenders are considered one of the finest dog breeds by our military, law enforcement and Americans everywhere, treasured for their loyalty, bravery, and obedience.

Confident, tough, and steady, German Shepherds are highly valued by the U.S. Armed Forces and our police force especially for their ability to learn commands for many different jobs and tasks.

With their special training for dangerous situations on the battlefield or on our American streets, these dogs are able to save lives and help take down the bad guys.

German Shepherds have been awarded the most The AKC Humane Fund Awards For Canine Excellence in the award’s history.

Arguably the most famous German Shepherd was the film star Rin Tin Tin. Born in September 1918, Rin Tin Tin was made famous when he was saved from a WWI war zone by American soldier Lee Duncan. Duncan trained “Rinty” who went on to appear in 27 Hollywood films. At one point, Rinty received around 10,000 fan letters a week and ultimately received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

A German Shepherd named Buddy earned the distinction of being the first American “seeing eye dog.” In 1927, an American woman named Dorothy Harrison Eustis was training German Shepherds as police dogs when she wrote a magazine article describing a dog guide training school in Germany for blind veterans of the First World War.

She received a letter from a 20-year-old blind man named Morris Frank who promised to help set up a similar school in the United States if she would train him to use a dog guide.

In his letter, Frank said, “Is what you say really true? If so, I want one of those dogs! And I am not alone. Thousands of blind like me abhor being dependent on others. Help me and I will help them. Train me and I will bring back my dog and show people here how a blind man can be absolutely on his own. We can then set up an instruction center in this country to give all those here who want it a chance at a new life.”

Eustis invited the young man to Switzerland, where he spent five weeks learning to work with a female dog named Kiss – which he quickly renamed Buddy. A year later, in December 1928, Eustis and Frank launched The Seeing Eye in Frank’s hometown of Nashville, Tennessee.

German Shepherds possess a truly selfless and honorable willingness to put their life on the line in defense of their owners and loved ones. For these reasons and so many more, we couldn’t be more proud to pay our respects to these Land Sharks!