German Shepherd Dog
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A German Shepherd Dog is a breed of dog that was first bred in Germany. They are sometimes called Alsatians because they come from an area called Alsace. 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 German Shepherd Dogs 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 handlers.
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.
