Thanks to AKC judge, Ms. Shirley Thomas who picked Skip and negotiated with Da Lamer Schipperkes for me. It was during the Westminster 2000 that he became officially mine. Skip was first shown April that year, right after he arrived. Skip finished with three majors in three shows bagging a Best In Group completing his Championship title under Philippine Judge, Dr. Elmer Pineda. By July, he was officially a Philippine Grand Champions with another Best In Group in the bag. By September of 2001, he joined the Show Dog Hall of Fame ranks consistently placing in group competitions. He has won over Best In Show Winners in group competitions to say the least and do win over the ever-popular Shih Tzus, the Chow-Chows, Chinese Shar-Pei and Dalmatians. Most of the time when we ask for judges' opinions as to what might have been lacking why he hasn't bagged any BIS, we often get a response regarding his coat condition which should be fuller. Oh well ... it's something we just have to shrug our shoulders then since we really can't do much when it's over a 100 degrees Fahrenheit in a tropical island, you know. There's no way I'm going to restrain this little Tasmanian Devil dog to air-conditioned quarters 24 hours a day and let him miss out on life and being himself just for show purposes or for the sake of a Best In Show brag!
Who says you can't win
over the more popular breeds with something rare?
Our fancy for the rarer breeds stemmed out from our dismay from backyard breeders and puppy millers of the popular breeds. Having less popular breeds do have its disadvantages. For one, the gene pool is a lot smaller. Most likely too, all breeds' judges are not familiar with little details and often, a judge unsure of a breed standard would almost always award one breed more popular than the other. It would take an exceptional dog of a less popular breed to win over one average dog belonging to the more popular ones.
In a third world country like the Philippines, a lot more breeds are considered rare only because there are only a few of them yet. It is not because they are truly rare. Most of the population would almost always refer to a purebred dog as a police dog irregardless of the breed whether the dog be a German Shepherd, or a Belgian Malinois, or a whatever. Very popular are the Doberman Pinschers probably because of the movie, the "Doberman Gang". Thanks to the movies, the Filipinos are now able to differentiate between the Dalmatian, the Doberman, the Rottweiler and the "Beethovens", "Air Bud", "Babe" and "Spuds". But all these do not do justice to the breeds for what is envisioned is what was perceived from watching these movies and shows. Suddenly, Siberian Husky imports are in the tropical island winning Best In Shows. To each his fancy, to each his own.
Our interest in the Schipperke was brought about the Belgian Groenendael. Without the tail, it was a miniaturized Belgian Sheepdog in all its glory. Much like the Miniature Collie or "Look Ma, it's a Mini-Lassie" stigma that the Shetland Sheepdog is bereaved with. Man's inventions come about to suit his needs. There are only a few ancient pure breeds and the ones we have now are products of men breeding dogs to suit their life style. So much so for everything miniaturized, we are living in a high-tech world and will soon run out of open space from over-population. From bulky cellular phones, we now have pocket-size everything. Just so with our dogs, there are breeders miniaturizing Golden Retrievers or Australian Shepherds. I have come to adore the Belgian Sheepdog however, upon my ex-lover's exit and entry of the new one, and so with my favoured dogs. Ms. X liked the wrinklies while Ms. Alpha Bitch prefers the Aussies. And so, my Belgians all went outside from my bedroom. Presently, in the master's bedroom, I rank last in the pack of 9 bitches-my girlfriend being the Alpha Bitch. My dog, Skip keeps me company among the bitchin' ladies.
I used to pride myself with Skip being the "only one" in the Philippines. He is still my only one. He still is the only one in terms of quality, I suppose. As mentioned, there is a pair out there breeding and in-breeding which of course, Skip would never be bred to. Yes, Skip and I are looking for his would-be maiden so he stops humping my leg. Much to his dismay, or mine to, he probably wishes I don't take too much time in the selection process. I have inquired from various show breeders. I am aware of the breed's problem regarding bites. Considering that the ancestry too stems from the Belgian Shepherd Dogs, I would say that Schipperkes would most likely have the same strain of genetic defects. They are not at all popular for one which even makes it harder for our quest. Most Schipperke breeders are responsible enough and are sensible enough not to ruin the breed they have come to love. And so, Skip and I ... wait.
Waiting ... waiting and waiting ... for his perfect dream girl to match.
Fellow dog lovers (& divers!) are always welcome in our homes!
Don't forget to leave your paw prints (or bouys) behind!
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