This is about Rin Tin Tin; the world’s most famous dog. Next month, September 10th 2018, will mark the one hundredth birthday of the movie & TV star Rin Tin Tin.
In September of 1918 Lee Duncan walked into a bombed out WW I German war dog kennel. There among destroyed walls and roofing Duncan found the broken bodies of a mother and all but two of her litter. Rin Tin Tin and his sister Nanette were saved. Rin Tin Tin made it to America, sadly Nanette died on the crossing home.
Rinty (as he was called in the movies) made America and a goodly chunk of the world love the German Shepherd Dog. Jack Warner (Warner Brothers) saw Rinty jump into a second story window in a Vaudeville show and signed him to a contract on the spot. Rinty was so popular he got ten thousand (10,000) pieces of fan mail a week (think about that in the 1920s) and his movies saved Warner Brothers from bankruptcy several times.
Although age finally forced him out of the movie business, his star power and reputation allowed other dogs to keep the name Rin Tin tin alive for decades to come. One can still order original (and follow on) Rin Tin Tin movies on Netflix. His silent movies and talkies can be ordered all over the web. The TV show Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (Rinny on TV) (1954-59) is rarely out of syndication somewhere.
I use a German Shepherd Dog as my handicapped service dog and a couple two or three times a year I see a parent pointing to my dog excitedly telling their children “Look it’s Rin Tin Tin!” When people ask for my dog’s name I am surprised at the number of twenty and thirty-somethings Who get excited. Some know it’s an important German Shepherd, others say they don’t know why but know it is an important dog.
For lovers of the Breed this is your chance to give back. Please send this to folks who might be inclined to pass this along and spread the word. The goal is to have you and others so inclined to contact newspapers, periodicals (dead tree and electronic formats), forums and anywhere this might get some help Keep the name alive in the American lexicon.

Another interesting fact about the original Rinty was that he bite quite a few of the actors that works with him.
I suspect, coming out of a German war dog kennel he would have a bit of sharpness to him.

I grew up watching the TV show with Corporal Rusty and was quite surprised when I found out the 'original" movie Rinty was a sable, along with Strongheart and a number of other movie GSDs of those early movie years.