Evening star., 1940-06-09
TAB ON THE DOG WORLD
News of Leaders Dogdom and Their Masters;
Breeds; Notes Shows Here and Elsewhere
By X. X. Taynfon

olc. AHcTe are ladies WHICH place
his origin in the distant past; and
there are other stories which de-
scribe him as cross between wolf
and dog. But as far as authentic
history goes, nothing much is known
about this breed until the last dec
ade of the last century, when the
Shepherd Dog Club of Germany
was founded. Certainly, since that
date there have been no wolf crosses
in the breed.
In 1887, Christian Burger, a dog
dealer of Leonburg, Germany, is
said to have crossed dogs and wolves,
and to have established a strain of
dogs that was in great demand.
While both the general conforma-
ton, and particularly the gait, Of
the modern show shepherd suggest
the wolf, in this length of time any
trace of wolf blood must have long
since been washed out.
Introduced in England.
While the name German shepherd
may be misnomer, since this
breed has never particularly dis
tinguished itself in this field of
work, it seems to be the name with
the greatest lasting powers. Early
in the breeds popularity, it was
introduced in England as a Ger
man sheepdog. Since this was i'm
mediately following the last war, it
was thought the German title might
act prejudicially to the breed, and
the name was changed to French
police dog-again a misnomer which
did not add to its popularity. Soon,
its name was changed to Alsatian
wolf dog, and under that name, it
caught the public fancy. In 1919,
the Alsatian Wolf Dog Club was
formed This was the real begin
ming of the breeds overwhelming
popularity, which shot it's registra-
tions to the highest point ever at
tanned by any breed in either Eng
land or America.
Realizing this was one breed of
dog that really needed work, both
to thrive and to remain comfortable,
breeders have always placed en-
phasis on workability and intelli-
gence. The whole standard is
slanted toward physical efficiency
and mental ability AS early as
1923, the Alsatian Sheep, Police and
Army Dog Association was formed
in England for the express purpose
of holding working and obedience
trials for this breed This organi-
zation was later changed to the
Associated Sheep, Police and Army
Dog Association. Still later, the
Alsatian League and Club was or
ganized. The present great popu-
larity of the Obedience Test Clubs
and Trials stems from these organi-
cations. And if the German shep-
herd has made a higher record in
these trials than other breeds, it
is not surprising. since the trials
grew from his needs and experiences.
German Name.
The German name of the breed.
Deutches Schaferhund. would imply
that the dog was originally used for
sheep herding in his native coun-
try. However, even in that coun-
try, the dog. at least since the for
nation of the breed club, has been
primarily developed along other
lines. He was given his first chance
as a real worker under the pennants
OF the very efficient German police
force, where he proved real ally
against the criminally inclined.
During the World War. his keen
intelligence and effortless gait were
employed for the use of the army
in the messenger service His abili-
ties were soon recognized by the
Red Cross, and he was drafted by
that organization. not only in Ger
many, but by the Allies. His i'm
portation into England and America
is supposed to have been started
by those who had experience with
MIN in the Red Cross.
After the war the German shep-
herd was extensively trained as a
guard dog. Some years later he
entered new and finer chapter of
his career as the premier breed in
guiding the blind In this role he
has performed heroic services which
have been recognized in many coun-
tries with special privileges.
Before he reached this chapter
in his affairs the German shepherd
went through one OF the most re-
markable periods ever encountered
by any breed Introduced to the
foreigners in the course of a great
war, his qualities gained him instant
recognition by the enemy, and while
his country was conquered, he was
destined to conquer over the CANNES
of those countries to which he was
taken. BY 1922, four years after
the war. the shepherd was well on
its way to immense popularity. In
the very greatness of his success lay
his downfall. Egged on by tales of