I would love to own a german shepherd!
German Shepherds are fantastic. The originated from Germany. They are medium to large-sized working dogs.
When did people discover (or start breeding) german shepherds?
Even though the German Shepard's origins go back to 1899, they are still considered a fairly new breed.
That's really interesting.  Are they more typically pets, or working dogs?
Well the German Shepard was used for sheep heading and still is, but many people have them as pets also.