# Blondi



## Miikkas mom

My hubby was watching something on the History Channel (I think it was the History Channel, anyway) last night about Adolf Hitler and I caught a few minutes of the program. 

As I’m sure you know, Hitler had a GSD named Blondi. Blondi was killed in the bunker along with the rest of the gang. They tested the cyanide pills on her, I guess.  Hitler had a plethora of defects but perhaps the only decent thing about the man was that he was a dog lover and he loved Blondi. I remember reading some time ago, that he was going to let Blondi go…run out of the bunker and out in to the streets but he was too worried that someone would eat her as the Germans were starving for food, by this time. Plus, he didn’t want the Russians getting a hold of her. So, he killed her instead. After she was dead, it is said that Hitler was inconsolable (too bad he didnt care for humans like he cared for his dog...). Shortly after Blondi's death Hitler killed Eva Braun and then himself. Charming fellow :rolleyes2: 

Anyway, I’m wondering what Blondi’s pedigree was. Anyone know? I know she had a liter of pups, while living the bunker. One of the pups was found beside Hilter’s burnt corpse but they never found the other 4 puppies. Blondi was also found next to Hitler. 

Don’t know why but I’m curious about this dog and her pups.


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## Jax's Mom

I heard a different story, my version was that he was parnoid about all people around him and wanted to test the pills on her to make sure she was dead-dead and not just passed out... She he wouldn't be knocked out and captured. 

(but who really knows why one would kill their dog?)

I'm kind of interested in Blondi's pedigree too though


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## Miikkas mom

Jax's Mom said:


> I heard a different story, my version was that he was parnoid about all people around him and wanted to test the pills on her to make sure she was dead-dead and not just passed out... She he wouldn't be knocked out and captured.
> 
> (but who really knows why one would kill their dog?)
> 
> I'm kind of interested in Blondi's pedigree too though


That is actually part true. By this time, he did not trust Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS. Himmler was the one who provided the cyanide capsules to the people in the bunker. So, he wanted the cyanide to be “tested”. By this point, he had made the decision not to let Blondi go so they tested the pills on her.


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## bunchoberrys

I found this on the pedigree database. Hitler also had another favorite shepherd named Blonda:
"She was born in 1926 from Ally von der Grottenau and Armin von Ridekenburg, both dogs about whom little is known nowadays. However, the lines of the grandsire of Armin von Riedekenburg, Junker von Nassau, still exists today - in American showline German Shepherds of all places...."


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## GSD_Xander

I found this article on Wikipedia with a picture about Blondi:

Blondi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## AbbyK9

I did some research and wrote an article for my blog about Hitler's dogs a while back, which you can find here - Distant Relatives Dogs for Defense K-9 Wish I had footnoted it, as I can no longer find the sources I used for some of it. 

The article from "Homes and Gardens", published in 1938, was pretty helpful in my research as it mentions the "model kennels" at the Berghof where Hitler bred Alsatians - Blondi may have been his favorite, but he had others. There's some cute footage of Shepherd pups at the Berghof, too - it's on the documentary "Hitler's Private World Revealed".

The photo below was up on Ebay Germany a while ago, it's a postcard. It's titled Blondi and Wolf. Blondi is the sable, of course. There are some other photos of Hitler with the bicolor Wolf as well but this is the first time I've come across one that had a picture of both dogs and had them identified by name.


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## Miikkas mom

AbbyK9 said:


> I did some research and wrote an article for my blog about Hitler's dogs a while back, which you can find here - Distant Relatives Dogs for Defense K-9 Wish I had footnoted it, as I can no longer find the sources I used for some of it.
> 
> The article from "Homes and Gardens", published in 1938, was pretty helpful in my research as it mentions the "model kennels" at the Berghof where Hitler bred Alsatians - Blondi may have been his favorite, but he had others. There's some cute footage of Shepherd pups at the Berghof, too - it's on the documentary "Hitler's Private World Revealed".
> 
> The photo below was up on Ebay Germany a while ago, it's a postcard. It's titled Blondi and Wolf. Blondi is the sable, of course. There are some other photos of Hitler with the bicolor Wolf as well but this is the first time I've come across one that had a picture of both dogs and had them identified by name.


Great article, Chris, I enjoyed reading it! :thumbup:

I did know Hitler had dogs prior to Blondi but I did not know he actually had an entire kennel of GSD’s at Berghof. I also did not know about Bella. 

You are also correct about Blondi being misidentified. We have watch several history shows about WWII that show a GSD w/Hitler that the narrator claims is Blondi....but it’s clearly a different dog.


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## HankGSD

I came across this thread, doing a search here after reading a blurb yesterday about the Nazis trying to train dogs to talk. Seemed a bit far-fetched, but it got me interested in reading about Hitler and his dogs.

There are several videos on You Tube showing him with his dogs, whether it was Blondi or another one. 




Interesting, yet eerie at the same time, to watch these.


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## Anja1Blue

HankGSD said:


> I came across this thread, doing a search here after reading a blurb yesterday about the Nazis trying to train dogs to talk. Seemed a bit far-fetched, but it got me interested in reading about Hitler and his dogs.
> 
> There are several videos on You Tube showing him with his dogs, whether it was Blondi or another one. YouTube - ‪Hitler and his dog. Technicolor images.‬‏
> 
> Interesting, yet eerie at the same time, to watch these.


Thanks for the post Hank! The dog above isn't comfortable, that is pretty obvious. One of the other videos shows what might be the same dog actually on the ground and looking frightened. Hitler liked to portray himself as a dog lover, and I don't think there was any dispute that Blondi was special - whether he was as "nice" to his other dogs might be debatable. I'm not sure her pedigree was ever made clear - just that she was a gift in 1941 from Martin Bormann. And that there were people in the bunker who were very disturbed by her death...
___________________________________________
Susan

Anja SchH3 GSD
Conor GSD
Blue BH WH T1 GSD - waiting at the Bridge :angel:


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## TankGrrl66

Great, one of my dogs looks like her :/


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## Chrissy_GSD

I heard that Hitler let Blondi sleep in his bed with him, not sure as to how credible this information is
When I studied Mondern History, my lecturer told us that Hitler loved Blondi and did not want to see her fall into the hands of the Russians, because they inevitably would torture Hitler's dog. So like he killed himself and Eva, he killed Blondi as well.


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## Blondi's Revenge

Wouldn't it be cool if somehow Blondi's bloodline was preserved?


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## scarfish

nope


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## EMH

Blondi's Revenge said:


> Wouldn't it be cool if somehow Blondi's bloodline was preserved?


Only if Blondi herself was good enough for breeding and her genetic make up meshed well with available studs at that time.


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## holland

What scarface said ... Personally I find this dog more interesting and there is also a book about this dog. Sad ending though
http://nypost.com/2014/06/01/the-amazing-tale-of-antis-the-hero-dog-of-wwii/


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## Blondi's Revenge

Question . . if America had made first contact with Hitler's bunker . . what do you think would've happened to Blondi?


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## wyoung2153

holland said:


> What scarface said ... Personally I find this dog more interesting and there is also a book about this dog. Sad ending though
> The dog that went on air raids against Nazis and became a hero | New York Post


This was a great read. Thank you for sharing!


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## holland

Blondi's Revenge said:


> Question . . if America had made first contact with Hitler's bunker . . what do you think would've happened to Blondi?


General Eisenhower (sp?) was not in a hurry to get to Berlin-he was concerned about loss of life-they let the Russians get to Berlin first-and the Russians sufferred horrible losses in WWII so they were angry-German women were raped...


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## holland

wyoung2153 said:


> This was a great read. Thank you for sharing!


Your welcome-someday I'd like to read the book.


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## carmspack

old thread -- 
commenting on this 
"However, the lines of the grandsire of Armin von Riedekenburg, Junker von Nassau, still exists today - in American showline German Shepherds of all places...." 

Junker Nassau is in almost every German shepherd today 
as are Claudius Hain, Nestor Wiegerfelsen, Rolf Osnabrucker land .
and Roland Starkenburg.

Lance of Fran Jo being a pillar of American show lines 
shows Nestor and Claudius (Holland Sieger Troll Richterbach - maternal grand sire) , 

Many lines incorporate import SGR 1920 CH(AKC) Erich von Grafenwerth [Hamilton] who was *3,5,5 - 3,5* *1906/07 SGR Roland von Starkenburg (1903*



This Erich dog needed to be bred wisely to avoid shyness and lack of courage. 
Erich was the dog who left the building when von Stephanitz fired a gun while the dogs were in the ring . Not only the building -- the country! Sold to America. There he was appreciated (rightly so) for his superior conformation . Temperament I don't think mattered?
The warnings 
Erich got this from his sire Alex Westfalenheim . This Alex almost ruined the breed . Producer of over size , health problems, temperament problems . (Alex Wooton The German Shepherd Book) . Malcolm Willis sites Alex as having died prematurely because of problems with digestive problems and assimilation. 

Alex and his son Erich were responsible for the SV initiating a more rigid temperament and courage tests (Kor).

Canto inherited his temperamental problems from Alex ,
multiple sources through maternal line.


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## Blondi's Revenge

carmspack said:


> old thread --
> commenting on this
> "However, the lines of the grandsire of Armin von Riedekenburg, Junker von Nassau, still exists today - in American showline German Shepherds of all places...."
> 
> Junker Nassau is in almost every German shepherd today
> as are Claudius Hain, Nestor Wiegerfelsen, Rolf Osnabrucker land .
> and Roland Starkenburg.
> 
> Lance of Fran Jo being a pillar of American show lines
> shows Nestor and Claudius (Holland Sieger Troll Richterbach - maternal grand sire) ,
> 
> Many lines incorporate import SGR 1920 CH(AKC) Erich von Grafenwerth [Hamilton] who was *3,5,5 - 3,5* *1906/07 SGR Roland von Starkenburg (1903*
> 
> 
> 
> This Erich dog needed to be bred wisely to avoid shyness and lack of courage.
> Erich was the dog who left the building when von Stephanitz fired a gun while the dogs were in the ring . Not only the building -- the country! Sold to America. There he was appreciated (rightly so) for his superior conformation . Temperament I don't think mattered?
> The warnings
> Erich got this from his sire Alex Westfalenheim . This Alex almost ruined the breed . Producer of over size , health problems, temperament problems . (Alex Wooton The German Shepherd Book) . Malcolm Willis sites Alex as having died prematurely because of problems with digestive problems and assimilation.
> 
> Alex and his son Erich were responsible for the SV initiating a more rigid temperament and courage tests (Kor).
> 
> Canto inherited his temperamental problems from Alex ,
> multiple sources through maternal line.


Is there a specific dog who's lines can be traced back to these dogs?


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## carmspack

most west German show lines 
most American show lines


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## Blondi's Revenge

Would you say that Blondi is a good example of the breed?


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