My name is Angel, but don't let that fool you.

I am a little black		dog with a heart as big as the
whole galaxy.

I am a Schipperke (pronounced skipper-key). I own a human named Nancy. She came under my spell in January of 1993, when I was just a puppy.

My ancestors were bred in Belgium and we are the smallest of the shepherd family. We have a long life expectancy for dogs, usually into the teen years and sometimes up to 18. I am kind of big for my breed... but 18 pounds is still within the breed standard. I can't help it I am obsessed with food!

Schipperke's range from 10 to 13 inches high at the withers and from 12 to 18 pounds. We make excellent companions for people in the city or country. We need exercise because we are so energetic. We are the canine equivalent of a Boy Scout; strong, brave, faithful and intelligent. Our bodies are small but we don't let that stop us from protecting the person we own.

Schipperke's are always solid black in America but some of my distant cousins in Europe are other colors. We all have small erect ears, a tapered muzzle, and oval eyes with a gleam of mischief if you look close. We usually have a docked tail but there is some controversy right now about tail docking, and the practice might be discontinued in the future.

I love to sneak out of the house when Nancy is coming in the door. Sometimes, I let her see the gleam in my eye just before I zoom past her through the door. She usually drops whatever she has in her hands and the chase is on! Great fun for me but she always says I am in trouble... no treats for me until tomorrow.

This is a picture of me relaxing at home, after one of my escapes out the door. I am very comfortable and I really appreciate the paw rest.

My hero is		TAZ!!	I spin around and jump 3
feet in the air whenever food is offered. Nancy has to keep food toward the back of the countertop or I jump up and pull it down.
Then I eat it and turn into a

I am very good at sniffing out mice and rats. I haven't seen any rats since I moved to Portland but once in a while I get lucky and find a mouse to frighten to death. I really can't stand it when the little rodents won't come out from under the sink. I keep the whole house awake trying to bark at them to come out and play...What fun!

One of the more adorable traits I have is standing on my back feet and playing patty-cake with my front paws. It's a way to beg and still be cute! That's how schipperke's win the hearts of people.

I'm watching for Nancy to open the door so I can sneak out and run, run, run.

I really am a sweet dog at heart, but I definitely have a devilish streak. I used to try to bully my 2 sisters, but they never let me get away with it. They were pretty laid back and didn't listen to me if they didnt want to. Sometimes I tried to get them to chase me through the house and play.

These were my two sisters, Dusty on the left and Chewy on the right. Both of them lived for over 16 years before they went to the rainbow bridge. I like this picture of the three of us. We were like the 3 Musketeers.

Let me introduce the other members of my pack. Most of them are gone now, but I still consider them as part of the family. Someday I will join them at the rainbow bridge, and we will have a great reunion.

Chewy was part Chow and part American Eskimo, and lived for over 16 years. She went to the rainbow bridge in May 2003, after living over a year with transitional cell carcinoma. It was a very sad day for my mom, but I tried to make her feel better. Mom and I still miss seeing Chewy around the house.

Dusty was the biggest. She was part Chow and part long-haired Dachshund (don't ask). She lived to 16 and a half years and enjoyed a really nice summer before she had to leave us. She couldn't get into the bay window anymore, so Mom let her spend more time in the front yard. She sure did like to watch the neighborhood. It's sad not seeing her by the front door anymore.

Jenny belonged to my Grandma until she had to go to the rainbow bridge. She was around 14 years old, and always had a bad hair day. I guess it was the rat terrier in her. She was also part Chihuahua. I miss seeing her sun herself on the deck.

Jenny doing her Yoda impression

Mom is looking for a new puppy to add to the family, since there are only 2 of us left. She found an Australian Kelpie/unknown mix that was born 2 weeks before Dusty died. We are looking forward to getting her, but she better not try to boss me around! Maybe she will make me feel young again and I can play sometimes. After all, I am 14 years old.

	Cinnamon is a Pomeranian. His Mom passed away and she wanted him to stay with us. He's the only boy we allow in the house. I wish he would play but he seems to be afraid of me. He's only 6 pounds, so I guess I'm too big (sigh). He wants to be alpha dog, but I won't let him bully me. He makes more noise than anybody else.
Cinnamon tells me he just loves to sit on comfortable piles of material!

Thanks for stopping by and meeting the pack. Sign my guestbook, or the person I own and let her know what you thought of my page. She won't let me have my own email!

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