The East European Shepherd, also called Vostochno Evropeiskaya Ovcharka or VEO (Russian: Восточно-европейская овчарка or ВЕО) is a Soviet Union breed of shepherd dog. It was selectively bred from the German Shepherd to create a larger dog with better resistance to cold conditions, and was intended for military and guard work. The East European Shepherd is significantly larger than the German Shepherd and shows substantial sexual dimorphism: dogs typically stand 67 to 72 cm (26 to 28 in) at the withers although some can be as tall as 74 cm (29 in); bitches are typically 62 to 67 cm (24 to 26 in). The coat is dense and of medium length, with a well-developed undercoat, and often with longer soft hair on the ears, neck, limbs and tail. It may be black-and-tan, sable or solid black; brindles or whites are rare. The eyes may be brown, amber or blue; odd-coloured eyes are known. The ears are long and upright, and the paws are large with long toes, giving a snowshoe-like appearance. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)