The Schipperke 687 



book, he read the letter and passed it over. It was a warm letter of thanks 

 from the secretary of the St. Hubert club for his assistance in the adoption 

 of the standard and as a mark of his appreciation he sent him the first 

 bound copy of the standard. This copy we brought to America as a good- 

 bye keepsake and the secretary may feel assured it is in safe keeping. 



When the schipperke was first introduced there was considerable 

 difference of opinion as to the correct type, for Brussels had a local variation, 

 wide in front and short headed, while the Louvain variety was very short 

 coated, with long narrow ears. The third leading variety was the Antwerp 

 dog, and there is no doubt as to its being the better looking and more attrac- 

 tive of the three. This was the dog that had the most supporters and 

 was accepted as the correct type and is the dog we occasionally see in our 

 miscellaneous classes here. 



No one knew anything about the "skip" until just about twenty years 

 ago when a Mr. J. M. Barrie brought one to England for exhibition. Mr. 

 G. R. Krehl who had always a fancy for anything new or continental, then 

 took them up and helped the fancy all he could in the columns of the Stock- 

 keeper. So much was said about them at that time that several exhibitors 

 on this side of the Atlantic were carried away by the newspaper support 

 and imported some. Classes were given at a few shows for one or two 

 years but the breed never took here and if it was not for Frank Dole's 

 showing one for several years in the miscellaneous class the breed would 

 have been a blank in this country. 



As we have more than once remarked in previous chapters, mere oddity 

 is not an attraction to Americans, who want something more than a curiosity 

 in a dog. A good many will say that the "skip " has many merits in addition 

 and that we grant, but put down a "skip" and a Pomeranian^ a rough and a 

 smooth St. Bernard, a smooth and a wire-haired fox terrier in front of a -«t» 

 person who wants to buy a dog and ninety per cent, will take the Pom, the , 

 rough St. Bernard or the smooth terrier. It is counter attractions that 

 stop many breeds from becoming popular, and not lack of merit in the one - 

 neglected. No doubt if we could transplant an entire schipperke dis- 

 play from a Palace or an English L. K. A. show and put it down in 

 Madison Square Garden at the annual February muster there might be 

 a different tale to tell, but we are limited to write of. what is and not 

 what might be, and the schipperke can hardly be recognised as one of our 

 show dogs. 



