During WW1 over 20,000 dogs were in service. I is estimated that 50% of these were German Shepherds on both sides of the conflict working for the Red Cross and troops. These dogs sniffed out the enemy, found wounded soldiers, delivered first aid, messages and protected both their handlers and the men in their troop. The German Shepherd excelled in helping wounded soldiers off the field of battle. After the war, this ability lead to the formation of the first Seeing eye dogs.

At the beginning of WW2, The US Army Quarter Master established training programs for 32 breeds of dog. By 1944 this list had been reduced to seven and ultimately the German Shepherd dog became the only dog in the K-9 corps. The German Shepherd's now had official roles - They were trained as Sentry Dog's; Scout or Patrol Dog's; Messenger Dog's; or Mine Detection Dogs.

Only 3 dogs have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Two fathom are German Shepherds - Strongheart and Rin Tin Tin. Strongheart was the World's 1st Movie Star Dog, bring audiences to tears as He performed on screen. Rin Tin Tin was rescued from a WW battlefield and became the star attraction of a Saturday morning Kid's show, "The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin". From 1954 thru 1964 166 episodes were produced and Rin Tin Tin's fame spread around the world making Him the most famous German Shepherd of all time.