The ' (SV), in English, ''German Shepherd Association'', is a

breed club Breed clubs are Voluntary association, associations or Club (organization), clubs with activities centered on a single, specific breed of a particular species of domesticated animal. The purpose of the association will vary with the species of anima ...

founded in Germany in 1899 by

Max von Stephanitz Captain Max Emil Friedrich von Stephanitz (December 30, 1864 – 22 April 1936) was a German cavalry officer and dog breeder who is credited with having developed the German Shepherd Dog breed as it is currently known, set guidelines for the ...

and his colleague, Arthur Meyer, which set forward the standards of the

German Shepherd The German Shepherd or Alsatian is a German breed of working dog of medium to large size. The breed was developed by Max von Stephanitz using various traditional German herding dogs from 1899. It was originally bred as a herding dog, for he ...

dog breed.

History

On the sidelines of a dog show in

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...

in April 1899, Max von Stephanitz, Arthur Meyer, and a number of others decided to form a club for the German Shepherd Dog. On 22 April 1899, the was formally established with its first headquarters in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

. Von Stephanitz was the Society's first President, and his dog, Hektor Linksrhein (known as Horand von Grafrath) was the first dog entered in the organization's

breed registry A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breede ...

, the (SZ). Von Stephanitz strongly believed that the German Shepherd Dogs' working ability was of the utmost importance and that aesthetics were less important. Thus, in order to avoid the arguments that led to the disestablishment of an earlier club, the Phylax Society, the SV's first breed standard stipulated, "A pleasing appearance is desirable, but it cannot put the dog's working ability into question."

Presidents of the SV

The current and former presidents of the SV are: * 1899-1935: Captain Max von Stephanitz * 1935-1945: Dr Kurt Roesebeck * 1945-1956: Mr Caspar Katzmair * 1956-1971: Dr Werner Funk * 1971-1982: Dr Christoph Rummel * 1982-1994: Mr Hermann Martin * 1994–2002: Mr Peter Meßler * 2002–2015: Wolfgang Henke * 2015- : Heinrich Meßler

References

External links

Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde (SV)Weltunion der Schaferhundvereine (WUSV)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Verein fur Deutsche Schaferhunde Breeder organizations German shepherds History of the German Shepherd Dog