CHAPTER II 
Early History of the Breed and Its 
Introduction to America 
'T'HE early kennels that were responsible for the 
-*• establishment of the present type were the ken¬ 
nels of Sparwasser in Frankfort, Wachsmuth in 
Hanau and Eiselin in Heidesheim. In the Sparwas¬ 
ser Kennel was produced the sire that is the founda¬ 
tion of the modern Shepherd, not only of the show 
strain, but also of the working type. This dog was 
Horand von Grafrath and every high-class produc¬ 
ing Shepherd is a lineal descendant of this great dog. 
We may talk of the Beowulf, the Starkenburg, the 
Horst von Boll, Kriminalpolizei and Riedekenburg 
strains, but they are really all subdivisions of the 
blood of Horand. Horand was, like all great sires 
that suddenly appear in the beginnings of almost all 
breeds, a dog that was far ahead of his time. For¬ 
tunately, he came early into the possession of Capt. 
von Stephanitz, the grand old man of the breed in 
Germany, whose wonderful research work among 
the Canidae has fitted him to produce a most mar¬ 
velous work on the dog, and it was most fortunate 
for the fanciers of the Shepherd that his wonderful 
knowledge and guiding hand piloted the destinies 
of this breed. How very fitting it was that the dog 
Horand should be in the hands of this great fancier. 
The next sire of importance, to the breed was Beo- 
wolf, who claimed Horand as his grandsire on both 
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