German Shepherd Dog, by Clare A. Howell

(This is a selection from our 11 year old daughter's blog. It is locked to the public, so reprinted with her permission and without my corrections. Clearly, she reads a lot of breed books and shelter descriptions!)


German Shepherd Dog: The Perfect Breed

German Shepherd Dog . . . The living picture of fidelis.
Invented in Germany, this noble animal was bred to be the ideal versatile breed. And even today the GSD certainly lives up to his reputation. He his today used for Herding, Gaurding, Policework, Wardog, and Family dog. Because of this, it might not come as a shock that they are the second most popular dog in the United States.

They are one of the smartest dogs in the world.

Fidelis means faithful in Latin, and it's what the classic dog name Fido deprived from. My Dad had two GSDs as a kid, and they were and still are his favorite breed of dog, as they are mine. They are fairly active, probably described as having a moderate energy level, and they love to play ball, even though the one thing they're not bred for is retriving! They are one of the smartest dogs in the world, probably why they're used for so many jobs. They love kids and their human family, but are wary of strangers and people they don't know. They are extremly trainable, and have a low wanderlust potential, which means they stick to ya like glue and don't want to go somewhere without you, Huskies, on the other hand do not think the same way German Shepherds do on that matter.
GSDs have had toys and statues and pictures made of them everywhere. Here are a few examples.

The Real Life Kind (Taken from Dogster.com)

The Playmobil Version

Computer Sience Version



Can You Guess What Version This Is? Thank you Lego.
(I have one of these Lego GSDs myself!)



From Amazon (click to read more about this figurine)



There are, of course, those who do not know the full extent of this dogs nobility, but let us not rest on that unfortunate subject. The German Shepherd Dog still holds his high position of second most popular dog in America, and I don't think he is any real danger of losing that. My family may even consider getting one this spring. If you are interested in more about the GSD,

click here http://gsdca.org/

Love, Allison and Clare

*Post #6