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RIN TIN TIN’s lineage is in its 13th generation. The story of RIN TIN TIN as told on his web site is fascinating. The original RIN TIN TIN was rescued in WWI from a bombed out war dog kennel on September 15, 1918 by Corporal Lee Duncan. The puppy was five days old. The German Shepherd breed was still in its infancy, with the standardization of the breed having begun in 1889. Duncan sought out the German Kennel Master in an American prisoner camp to learn more about the puppy and about German Shepherds. Duncan trained RIN TIN TIN accordingly and brought him home from the war with him on his 15-day Atlantic crossing.
In February of 1922 at a Shepherd Dog Club show, RIN TIN TIN amazed the audience by jumping nearly 12 feet! Moving pictures were also in their infancy; and, photographers wanted to capture the feat. Duncan decided their could be a future in film for RIN TIN TIN. Turned away by the studios, Duncan finally went to the “poverty row” of studios. He was turned away there as well; but, persisted. The nearly bankrupt fledgling studio that finally cast RIN TIN TIN in “Man From Hell’s River” was Warner Brothers Pictures. The rest, as they say, is history. He both saved Warner Brothers from financial ruin and received 10,000 fan letters a week. RIN TIN TIN starred in 26 films before he died on August 10, 1932. RIN TIN TIN is buried in his native France.
