I hope this doesn't offend anyone. I always find the best way to remember the correct spelling of a word is to remember its origins. The German Shepherd, known in Britain and a number of other countries as the Alsatian, was developed in the nascent country of Germany for herding sheep. So it was a sheep-herd, later contracted to a shepherd. "Alsatian" because it is found very much in the sheep-farming hills and mountains of Alsace.

Sadly many of the German Shepherds to be found in Belize suffer with genetic flaws that impair their health, mobility and lifespan.