I just came across this really cool series of articles called The Heidi Chronicles. These posts follow the life of Heidi the German Shepherd/Belgian Malinois shepherd after she was discovered by a pet talent agency while in the park with her owner.

So far the Heidi Chronicles are up to part 10 and are well worth the read. They’re funny, informative and just plain well written. You can find all parts from here and if you want to know more about what goes on behind the scenes of having a Pet in the “biz” or just want a good read I suggest you head on over there now.

I just came across a news article about Buddy a service dog who is trained to not only recognise when his owner is having a seizure, but thanks to a specially designed phone was able to call 911 when his owner was unable. You can read more about this wonderful 18 month old german shepherd here

While looking for more information I came across this site which mentioned a tribute to those many rescue, assitance and working German Shepherds.

This is the video – it’s beautiful and each and everyone one of those dogs (those mentioned and those that continue to work each and every day, along with their handlers) all deserve our heartfelt thanks

German Shepherd - Strongheart

One of the first canine film stars was a German Shepherd named Etzel von Oeringen, better known as Strongheart. Initially trained in Germany as a police dog he was taken to the United States by a husband and wife film making team.

Since Strongheart was previously trained as a police dog he had to undergo socialisation and re-trained so make him more adaptable to his new career. It is said though that he never forgot his original training and often suddenly pursue a passerbye who later were found to have a not so innocent pastime.

Strongheart truly became a star and as such was awarded celebrity treatment, was met with adoring fans where-ever he went and had a dog food named after him (that dog food ‘Strongheart Dog Food’ is still being produced today) as well as two books written about him “Letters to Strongheart” and “Kinship with All Life.”

Strongheart’s filmography includes:

•    The Silent Call (1921)
•    Brawn of the North (1922)
•    The Love Master (1924)
•    White Fang (1925)
•    The Return of Boston Blackie (1927); thought to be the only Strongheart movie still in existence

Strongheart and his mate, Lady Jule, had many offspring and their line survives to this day.  Strongheart’s grandson “Lightning” was a canine movie star in the the 1930′s, appearing in “A Dog of Flanders,” “Wings in the Dark,” and “When Lightning Strikes.” Another grandson, “Silver King,” also appeared in the movies and made personal appearances as part of a safety program for children.

German Shepherds are not only wonderful family pets and companions they are also extremely popular and common working dogs. Known for their strength, loyalty and intelligence German Shepherds can be trained to work in a variety of environments; from being movie and television stars to police, rescue and sniffer dogs, German Shepherds can often be found working to protect, save and entertain us.

With that in mind I’d like to highlight the famous and not so famous working dogs on a regular basis as well as provide any information for those interested in training or working with German Shepherds when they are used in any of these capacities.

To start with I was reading a report on MSNBC – Europe earlier about two dogs – Amy a Shepherd and Uno a Labrador Retriever who have been trained to sniff out live animals and plants or the remains of them.

According to the report they have been trained to focus on 16 specific smells including such things as feathers, reptiles, bone and ivory. You can read more about these clever dogs here