“Etzel von Oeringen,” better known as “Strongheart,” was one of the earliest canine film stars, and the first German Shepherd Dog to appear in motion picture movies, but given that he died in 1929, few people are left who remember him; perhaps even fewer realize that the dog food, “Strongheart,” was named for the dog so beloved in his time.

We hazard the guess that many more people remember Rin Tin Tin since many more of his films and TV shows are available on-line and through Netflix.  BTW, Rin Tin Tin got his name from the “male” half of a pair of vividly colored yarn dolls, “Rintintin,” given by young French women as good luck charms to men going off to fight in WWI.

It’s said that the lines of both Strongheart and Rin Tin Tin continue to this day, and Rin Tin Tin’s, it’s said, is one of the oldest continuous bloodlines in the breed’s 115-year history. Perhaps GSD experts can verify this?

Image of Strongheart from Wikicommons by en:user:Bobbeecher – en:image:Strongheart.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2641127