The author of the extensive volume, Max Emil Friedrich von Stephanitz (1864-1936), was a German dog breeder. During a maneuver, he enthusiastically observed the work of a dog with a flock of sheep. He was impressed by how the shepherds could direct the dog through calls and signals. This experience laid the roots for his decision to breed the German Shepherd Dog. He began to look among the existing local breeds. On January 15, 1898, he purchased the 3-year-old male dog Hektor Linksrhein from the Frankfurt breeder Sparwasser. Von Stephanitz named the dog Horand von Grafrath; this dog became the founding father of all German Shepherds. At his initiative, the Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde (Society for German Shepherd Dogs) was founded in Karlsruhe on April 22, 1899, of which he was the first president. He describes the origins of shepherd and herding dogs, their character, and the D.