i got lotte from the shelter: het haags dierencentrum
where was a member of the board at that time

july 16, 2004, i went to the shelter to get lotte
she was one of the dogs that i had been walking there since folly died
in june of that year
they told me she was three years old

(image: june 2004, from the website of the shelter)

this is what the shelter wrote about her:

this young female german shepherd dog (alsatian), about three years old*, is full of energy and enthousiasm
long walks, playing with a ball, dog training, she will like it all
and as the german shepherd should be: she is intelligent, eager to learn, social, and affectionate
she has a rare defect on her heart but is able to live with that

(image: june 2004, from the website of the shelter)

not at all three years old (as it seemed later): perhaps just one year old
i adjusted her year of birth some years after i got her, even my vet agreed

and i also did so with my insurance for her, to get this to be accurate, they followed my suggestion
and even refunded a part of the fee which is based on the ages of the pets they insure (great service: by petplan)