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The German Shepherd, also known as the Alsatian and Deutscher Schaferhunde, is one of the world's best known breeds. Descended from old herding and farm dogs, it was developed around the end of the nineteenth century by selectively breeding structurally and temperamentally sound dogs. It all began when Rittmeiseter Max von Stephanitz, called "the father of the breed," and a friend, who were looking to develop a strong and intelligent German herding dog, bought a dog they had seen at a dog show.

The "Verein fur Deutsche Schaferhunde," was organized in 1899, and interest in the breed spread rapidly throughout the world. After the founding of the parent club and until 1935, Von Stephanitz headed a group that continued to develop and promote the breed. Modern-day German Shepherds probably work in more different categories than any other breed: as police, army and sentry dogs, as search and rescue dogs, as guide dogs for the blind, as scent-discriminating dogs and, last but not least, as beloved companions.