Collection: Doberman T-Shirt Collection

A man named Karl who lived in Germany in the 19th Century was a jack-of-all-trades. A skinner at a local slaughterhouse. A dog catcher. A tax collector who literally went door to door collecting cash payments. And a night watchman.

Anything to make ends meet.

Karl needed to keep himself and the town’s funds safe as he strolled or patrolled the streets of his burgeoning industrial city.

Since Karl and his buddies loved dogs, he decided to breed an animal to accompany him on his rounds. A four-footed security guard who would stick by his side and keep strangers at bay. A dog bred not for the field but for city streets.

When Karl died in 1894, his canine-loving friends went on to perfect the breed, which they named in honor of their departed friend:

Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann.

Fun Fact:

In Europe, kennel clubs retain two N’s when referring to the breed; in the U.S., it’s one N. The Europeans also reject the term pinscher, which means terrier, as inaccurate; Americans continue to use it.