Same here. I'm 67, and I've been bitten hard twice in my life, and it was German Shepherds both times. Still love em though - very smart and usually sweet - until they're not....
Yeah, as a kid I was bit by a neighbor’s GS. But I had climbed a five foot fence to get my ball that I kicked over into their yard. I did not see the dog until I was in their yard. If I had two more seconds I would have made it back over the fence. I learned after that to go to the door and ask for the missing ball. It was not the dog’s fault, but it did bark at us from his side of the fence and probably would have defended the house from all commers.
My dogs were mixes and one mix was collie and GS. Wonderful pet. After that I had one of his pups (with a cocker spaniel, no I don’t know how that happened.) Then after that we went to a sheep ranch and came home with border collies. These get credit for being extremely smart.