Dutch Shepherd Forum

This reading corner forum is so sad. I thought I'd liven it up a bit!

I'm reading Rin Tin Tin by Susan Orlean, I'm halfway through and its fascinating! Makes me like GSD's more - it really goes through the history of the breed as well as Lee Duncan (Rin Tin Tin's trainers) personal life history.

Here's an article about it from New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/books ... wanted=all

Anyone read it?

Actually, the story of Rin-Tin-Tin's birth on a battlefield in September of 1919 very likely is myth. The first story that Duncan told (in October, 1919, to the Los Angeles Times) and that three officers of his squadron told goes like this: Duncan and his mates found an adult German shepherd male on the battlefield, and Rin-Tin-Tin was one of a litter born to him and a female German shepherd. That means he was born around the time of the Armistice. Evidence shows that story to be the true one. In a photograph taken after the 135th Aero Squadron arrived back in the United States in May, 1919, Duncan sits on the ground with Rin-Tin-Tin in his arms; next to him is another man with Nanette, Rin-Tin-Tin's sister. Rin-Tin-Tin's ears are floppy; Nanette's stand straight up. German shepherd puppies' ears start to stand up when they are five or six months old. (That's also the age the puppies appear to be, not the nine months they would have been had they been born in September.)

See my book, Rin-Tin-Tin: The Movie Star, available on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1453866655

Very interesting topic esp for me as the GSD has been my first love for over 50 years.

I just found my next read: Rin-Tin-Tin: The Movie Star. I usually have my nose in training books, so this looks to be a pleasure read. I am particularly interested in seeing photos of the old GSDs when they were 'built' to work.

Thanks, Ann, for posting this.