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It’s not hard to find stories of amazing heroism from German Shepherd dogs. The hard part is narrowing down the list.

After all, more German Shepherds have received the AKC Humane Fund Awards For Canine Excellence than any other breed in the award’s history.

Strong, confident, loyal and intelligent…German Shepherds possess the same qualities we admire in our two-legged protectors, which is why they’re so highly valued by the U.S. Armed Forces and our police forces.

To honor this four-legged freedom defender, we’ve created a special limited-edition t-shirt design featuring the stellar qualities of this Land Shark.

While you’re waiting for your shirt to ship, here are five amazing stories of heroism by German Shepherds to enjoy, whether they were serving in active and “civilian duty.”

1. Nemo A534


In the early hours of December 4, 1996, Airman Robert Throneburg and Sentry Dog Nemo were patrolling near a graveyard on Tan Son Nhut Airbase in Vietnam. Nemo alerted Throneburg to a group of hidden Viet Cong and was ordered to attack. In the process, Nemo lost an eye and suffered a gunshot wound to his snout, as a bullet hit under his right eye and exited through his mouth. Despite his severe injuries, Nemo was able to save Throneburg, who had also been wounded. Crawling across Throneburg’s body, Nemo guarded him until medical help arrived.

2. Haus


Seven-year-old Molly DeLuca was picking up dog toys in the family’s small yard, when her grandmother saw Haus, their 2-year-old German Shepherd rescue jumping around frantically. Gran watched Haus jumping forward and snapping back three times and finally realized the dog had put himself between Molly and the snake. In the end, Haus endured three venomous bites and nearly died. The family credited the dog with saving Molly’s life.

3. Bruno


Eleven-year-old Donnie Skiffington lay unconscious in a ditch, bleeding serverely, after being thrown from his bicycle. A nine-month-old German Shepherd named Bruno saved Donnie’s life by licking his face until he regained consciousness, and then began dragging him by his shirt collar towards home.

4. Maxx


In Central Florida a German Shepherd led a firefighter to children choking in heavy smoke as their house was engulfed in flames. Neighbors were sure it was a lost cause, but the firefighter successfully located the children and brought them to safety.

5. Sasha


In Argentina, a four-year Argentinian girl named Milena managed to get out of her home without her parents. She walked into a neighbor’s backyard and ended up in their pool. Sasha had followed the girl and started to bark, cry and whine but nobody responded. Apparently convinced Milena was drowning, Sasha jumped into the pool and held her up so she could breathe, until help finally arrived.