I have been a dog owner almost 2 years and in that time I have spent hundreds of hours dog walking the trails of Durham Region. One of our best trail friends is a similarly aged German Shepherd. Being dog owner has helped me overcome a life long fear of dogs. The German Shepherd we know is a gentle spirit that loves to play, mirroring the personality of his 2 owners.
The cache is located just off an informal trail near Duffns Creek.
Captain Max von Stephanitz, known as the father of the German Shepherd Dog breed, used various old German herding and farm dog breeds as his foundation stock in the development of the breed. In 1899, he and Adolf Meyer, Ernst Von Otto and others formed the parent club for the breed — the Verein für Deutsche Schaferhunde (SV). A stud book was immediately started upon the founding of the club and the first dog to be registered was von Stephanitz' dog, Hordand von Grafrath. Very strict guidelines were put into place for member breeders which included the control of which dogs could be used for breeding; which dog could be bred to whom; and before being bred, both the sire and dam had to have working titles plus at least a "G" (good) conformation rating. This very strict control by the Verein für Deutsche Schaferhunde (SV) helped the German Shepherd breed thrive and the club soon became the largest single-breed club in the world.
During the First World War, both German and French military were using German Shepherds as well as other breeds for various duties, including search and rescue of casualties; guarding the troops; and transporting ammunition, messages and first aid supplies between the trenches. Also during this war, many soldiers were blinded and the German authorities began training German Shepherds as "seeing eye" dogs as well. Today, the German Shepherd is still one of the most popular choices for guide dog work.
By the 1920s, Strongheart, who had been originally trained as a police dog in Germany and, even more famous, Rin Tin Tin who was rescued as a puppy in France just before the end of World War I, had hit the big screen. As a result, the breed gained extreme popularity outside of Germany. Unfortunately, this led to irresponsible breeders who introduced poor breeding practices in an effort to cash in. Problems in temperament and health began to develop within the breed. By the end of the Second World War, the popularity of the breed had declined somewhat. However, not before genetic disorders and poor temperament issues became common in some bloodlines. Since that time, dedicated breeders have worked to restore the temperament and physical strength of the original German Shepherd.