Alsatian

Alsatian

The German Shepherd Dog (German: Deutscher Schäferhund), also known as an Alsatian or just the German Shepherd is a breed of large-sized dog. It first developed in Germany in an area called Alsace. They are more commonly called German shepherds (German: Deutscher Schäferhund). They are often used as police dogs, though they have many other uses. They have been used as herding dogs, guard dogs and as pets, to name a few.

An important modern use is the dog's ability to perform search and rescue. The American Rescue Dog Association only uses air-scenting Alsatians to locate missing persons in wilderness, disaster, human remains and water search and rescue/recovery missions. The breed is naturally athletic, tolerates a wide variety of climate conditions, consistently ranks in the top 5 smartest breeds, and works well among the confusion of other dogs and their handler of Silent films.

The term Alsatian instead of German Shepherd was first popularly used by the British in the First World War because the country was at war with Germany.

Adolf Hitler, a German dictator, was also known to have German Shepherds as pets.