Schip Tails and Other Tales

The Official Book Of The Schipperke, Sponsored by The Schipperke Club of America, Edited by Vella M. Root. Published 1965, Howell Book House, Inc.

Page 19, 3rd paragraph:

"Another interesting point of comparison, which may also shed some light on tracing the ancestry of the Schipperke, is its natural tail carriage. Although it has often been written in America that the undocked tail of a Schip is carried over the back like a Spitz, early authorities are in disagreement with this."

While the quality of these old photos are not the best, they do show some of the many tail carriages of the schipperke with an undocked tail.  These pictures are used with the permission from the estate of Marj Kuyt, Roetmop Schipperkes.

The correct shepherd tail

Spitz Tails

The most notable physical attribute of the schipperke, namely the absence of a tail, gave rise to many different stories as well. Because there was no satisfactory explanation for its short stump of a tail, it became a popular legend that one of the shoemakers was so jealous of a collegues' beautiful dog that he cut its tail off with a knife out of vengeance for losing a contest. Far from detracting from its beauty however, a short tail actually became fashionable.

HOW THE SCHIPPERKE LOST HER TAIL
By Rudyard Schipling
In the beginning of years, O my Best Beloved, when the world was so-new-and-all, the Schipperke was not as we behold her today but was a very Different Animal. She was altogether beautiful with a great plumed tail of more-than-oriental splendour, shiny obsidian-black coat, perky-pointy ears, a tiny mouth full of blunt little teeth, and a dampy, sniffy nose that could smell the tiniest of tiny smells. And she was so inordinate 'telgent that she could spend the whole day (and the whole night too) thinking 'telgent thoughts that she could tell to no other animal, for none were as 'telgent as she. But of all her beauties, she was most proud of her great plumed tail (of more-than-oriental splendour), and would strut before the other animals waving her tail just so.
In these High and Far-Off times the Schipperke brought six squirmy puppies into the world (which was so-new-and-all), and put them in a safe-and-cozy den under the roots of a banyan tree. (You must remember how many puppies, Best Beloved) At first the puppies only wanted milk, but they grew and grew and became inordinate squirmy, squeaky, squiggy and so very 'satiable hungry! And they said, "Bring us real food. Bring us meaty meat so we may grow strong and tall and take our rightful place in the world, which is so-new-and-all."
So the Schipperke tucked the puppies (do you remember how many?) in the safe-and-cozy den under the banyan tree and walked off waving her great plumed tail (of more-than-oriental splendour) into the Great High Tall Forest to hunt for meaty meat. The Forest was full of tree trunks and bushes and ferns and mosses all speckled and sprottled and spotted and dotted and splashed and slashed and hatched and cross-hatched with shadows (read that quickly aloud, O Best Beloved, and you will see how very shadowy the Forest must have been). All the animals that lived there were also speckled and sprottled and spotted and dotted and splashed and slashed and hatched and cross-hatched, which made them 'scrutiating hard to see.
But the Schipperke knew the Forest was full of food: she smelled it everywhere! She sniffed hoppy rabbit, crawly snake, climby squirrel, slinky sloth and all the other animals that lived in the Great High Tall Forest. And as she walked she thought to herself in her most 'telgent way, "All my eyes see is speckled and sprottled and spotted and dotted and splashed and slashed and hatched and cross-hatched, and I can't tell the food from the aboriginal flora. But I smell meaty meat and it is very near. If I just follow my nose and open my mouth, when I feel meaty meat touch my tongue I will grab it in my teeth and bring it to my puppies (do you remember how many, Best Beloved?) so they may grow strong and tall take their rightful place in the world (which is so new and all).
So she sniffed and she wiffed and soon she smelled hoppy rabbit. She opened her mouth and when rabbit touched her tongue she grabbed tight. But hoppy rabbit slipped right over her blunt little teeth and hopped back into the Great High Tall Forest.
So she sniffed and she wiffed again, and soon she smelled crawly snake. She opened her mouth and when snake touched her tongue she grabbed tight. But crawly snake slipped right over her blunt little teeth and crawled back into the Great High Tall Forest.
So she sniffed and she wiffed again, and soon she smelled slinky sloth. She opened her mouth and when sloth touched her tongue she grabbed tight. But slinky sloth slipped right over her blunt little teeth and slinked s l o w l y up a tree in the Great High Tall Forest.
And the Schipperke was exceeding frustrated, and sat down under a tree and put her whole self into thinking the most 'telgent thoughts she had ever thought. She thought hard and long, but even with her most 'telgent thinking, she could not think of a way to make her blunt little teeth hold the food for her puppies (have you forgotten how many?).
Presently there came along the Djinn in Charge of All Forests rolling in a cloud of dust (Djinns always travel that way because it is Magic), and he stopped to palaver, inquire and otherwise hold discourse with the Schipperke.
"Djinn of All Forests," said the Schipperke, "I cannot hold any of the animals of your Great High Tall Forest because my teeth are so 'scrutiating blunt. My puppies need meaty meat so they may grow strong and tall and take their rightful place in the world (which is so-new-and-all). If I don't bring them food they will starve."
"Whew," said the Djinn whistling. "Attend, and I will solve your problem. Travel east through the forest to the great gray-green greasy Limpopo River all set about with fever-trees and talk with my Crocodile. He will give you what you need."
And the Djinn rolled away in a cloud of dust (which was Magic).
So the Schipperke walked east through the speckly splotty forest to the banks of the great gray-green greasy Limpopo River all set about with fever-trees till she trod on what she thought was log of wood at the very edge of the river.
But it was really the Crocodile, O Best Beloved, and the Crocodile winked one eye - like this!
"'S'cuse me," said the Schipperke, "but do you happen to have seen a Crocodile in these promiscuous parts?" The Schipperke did not recognize the Crocodile despite all her 'telgence, because she'd never seen one before.
Then the Crocodile winked the other eye, and lifted his tail half out of the mud, and said, "Come hither and tell me why do you ask such things?"
"The Djinn In Charge of All Forests has told me that the Crocodile can give me what I need to catch meaty meat for my puppies (how many, Best Beloved?), who are waiting very hungry in the safe-and-cozy den," said the Schipperke.
"Come hither," said the Crocodile, "for I am the Crocodile," and he wept Crocodile tears to show it was true. "Come hither, and I will whisper to you what you need."
Now the Schipperke did not trust the Crocodile, but she thought of her hungry puppies and so walked very mousy-careful up to the Crocodile. And when the Schipperke got close, the Crocodile caught her by her plumed tail (of more-than-oriental splendour) and bit down hard with his teeth, which were very whitey-bitey.
"What you need," said the Crocodile - and he said it between his teeth like this - "What you need are teeth...like...THESE!"
"Let go, let go!" barked the Schipperke, but the Crocodile did not let go and the Schipperke could not pull her tail from the Crocodile's sharp whitey-bitey teeth. And they pulled back and forth for the rest of the day and the night, and the next morning the Crocodile gave a very hard pull and at the same time the Schipperke gave a very hard pull and the Schipperke's great plumed tail came off in the Crocodile's mouth, and he swallowed it whole.
And watching from the banks of the great gray-green greasy Limpopo River, sitting among the fever-trees, was none other than the Djinn of In Charge of All Forests. And the Schipperke saw him and became very cross. "Why did you send me here, oh Djinn of All Forests? Your Crocodile tricked me and has stolen my great plumed tail (of more-than-oriental splendour) of which I was most proud, and I still have no food for my puppies."
"But my Schipperke, he told you what you needed to know," said the Djinn. "You need sharp whitey-bitey teeth. And I have just enough Magic left in my bag to give you one thing. Tell me: do you want me to return your great plumed tail (of more-than-oriental splendour), or do you want sharp, whitey-bitey Crocodile teeth?"
Now the Schipperke was a proud animal, and loved her tail above all things except six. And those (now do you know why I asked you to remember, Best Beloved?) were her six puppies. So she asked the Djinn for Crocodile teeth, and the Djinn forthwith made a great Magic that rose like a ribbon of dust to the Schipperke, and wound in a circle around her dampy sniffy nose. And when the dust blew away the Schipperke had a big mouth with sharp whitey-bitey teeth just like the Crocodile!
"But wait," said the Crocodile. "I too have babies, and they are waiting for me to bring food to our safe-and-cozy nest under the fever-trees. It has been most unreasonable hot this summer, the river has shrunk from its banks, and I cannot catch enough food for them. They are most 'scrutiating hungry and will starve if I don't find food soon. This great plumed tail was most tasty and satisfying, and is the first I've eaten in days."
"Whew," whistled the Djinn. "Attend, and I will solve your problem. Schipperke, return to your safe-and-cozy den. Catch food on the way and bring it to your puppies. Then bring all your puppies back here, so they may give their great plumed tails to nourish Crocodile's babies. In return I will make the Magic and give your puppies and all their children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren till time out of mind big mouths filled with sharp whitey-bitey teeth so that they may catch much food and grow strong and tall and take their rightful places in the world (which is so-new-and-all).
And so it happened.
And that is why, O Best Beloved, Schipperkes today have a big mouth full of whitey-bitey teeth, but no tails. But two things have never changed: they are still the most beautiful and the most 'telgent of animals, and always will be.
Copyright 1999 Larry Vogel