Captain Max von Stephanitz

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Max Emil Frederick von Stephanitz was born in Germany on December 30th, 1864. When he finished school, he wanted to become a gentleman farmer but he respected the wishes of his mother and became a career army officer. He served with the Veterinary College in Berlin for a time and the biological knowledge he gained there was of great value later, when he applied it to the science of breeding dogs. The motto of the von Stephanitz coat of arms is one that Max seemed to heed all through his life – "Do right and fear no one". As the young man's ideas crystallized, he came to the conclusion that he would breed a dog and make it available to sheep herders all over Germany. When the far-sighted cavalry officer returned to his regiment, he promised himself that he would start a utilitarian breed of dog that would be known as the German Shepherd. And so it was, one day in 1890, that the idea of founding a new breed came into being. It is said that his family was of nobility and his career as a cavalry officer was a highly respected position in this society. In 1898, he was promoted to Cavalry Captain, a singular honour for a young man. Shortly thereafter, however, he was requested to leave the service because he married an actress who, in those days, was considered below his social standing. It was an act of fate. Now he had the time to devote to developing the German Shepherd dog.

He bought a beautiful estate near Grafrath and developed it the same year he founded the Verein Fur Deutsche Schaferhunde (S.V.). In the ensuing years he had two children, Herta and Otto. Otto became a gentleman farmer and he was never particularly interested in dogs. Herta, however, was always keenly interested in dogs and played an active part behind the scenes. When the Sieger Show became an international event, Herta could be found interpreting for the many foreign visitors who attended the show. Throughout her life, she devoted many hours of her time compiling reports for [german shepherd] officials.

Throughout the 1890's, Captain von Stephanitz experimented with breeding dogs, and employed many of the ideas the English dog breeders were using in England. He was vitally interested in the shepherd dogs because they were the true working dogs of that era. Down through the centuries these dogs developed exceptionally sharp senses and instincts, plus the predisposition to work. In 1899, he attended one of the small dog shows where he found and bought Hektor Linkrsheim. He immediately changed the dog's name to Horand Von Grafrath. Two weeks later he and a friend, Artur Meyer, founded the S.V. and von Stephanitz became the first president. Artur Meyer became secretary and conducted the affairs of the club from his home in Stuttgart. Three sheep masters, two factory owners, one architect, one mayor, one innkeeper and one magistrate joined them as co-founders. And so it was that this illustrious group of men founded the club that was destined to become the greatest single breed club in the world.

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