Peter the Great was a remarkably intelligent German-born German
shepherd, who after two years of training at the Berlin Police Academy,
was brought to Hollywood to perform in movies.
In 1926, after appearing in several Hollywood features, Peter was shot
and killed during a possible alcohol fueled dispute between his master
and another dog fancier. A jury later awarded Peter's owner, who had
asked for a quarter of a million dollars, $100,000 plus $25,000 in
punitive damages, a record for that time for the slaying of a dog. In
1931 another jury found that "No dog can be considered in the same
category as a human" and declared the 1927 damage award as grossly
excessive.