Susan Orlean talks about the life and times of Rin Tin Tin, tracing his journey from orphaned puppy to movie star and international icon. Rin Tin Tin: The Life and Legend begins on a battlefield in France during World War I, when an American soldier discovered a newborn German shepherd in the ruins of a bombed-out dog kennel. He took the dog back to California, where he became Hollywood’s number one box office star.