A quick search yields blogs across the the internet that make mention “nanny breeds” of dog, or breeds that are gentle playmates for children. Labs, Golden Retrievers, Beagles, the list goes on. The breed that is most overlooked as the perfect canine companion for the little ones is the Schipperke.

One day early in September of 2021, our first Schipperke, Koga, began acting strangely. She became very pushy about staying very close to me and leaning up against my stomach. Normally she is the type of dog to ask for a quick pet and then run along her way, so this was very unusual behavior for her. It was not long before I took a pregnancy test and it came back positive. She knew that I was pregnant before we knew! This was only the first sign of an astounding connection that Schipperkes are capable of developing with children. Throughout my entire pregnancy, Koga's attachment to my stomach persisted. After the birth of my son, we were cautious. Accustomed to the lumbering and excitable nature of other dog breeds in the presence of small children, we opted to keep our Schipperkes separate from our newborn son, but soon it became clear that this was not at all necessary.

Another time, I was in the bedroom with my newborn son and the bedroom door came flying open. Both of our Schipperkes bounded triumphantly into the room. I thought to myself, I must not have shut the door all of the way. I shoe'd them back out into the living room and went on with my day. A few days later, it happened again, then again. Koga had somehow learned how to open a door, although not consistently. Once in awhile she could let herself in. This once in awhile was enough for her and Katsugi to properly introduce themselves and prove themselves capable of being very gentle around my son. They ran at full speed until they reached him and then they paused, walking gently around him, looking with curiosity and nuzzling softly. There was minimal guidance, needing only to say to them “be careful not to step on him” with a soft reposition of a paw a couple of times. They really were gentle with him by nature, which absolutely stunned me. I thought are these really the same dogs that I have witnessed having Tasmanian devil style play battles throughout the house since they were puppies?

The experience became even more incredible still, once Koga became a mother herself. After Koga's first and most recent litter came into this world, her attachment to my son deepened. I am certain that she became completely convinced that my son is her own! Every cry sends her flying into the room he is in, where she checks him up and down and pokes him with her nose a couple of times to ensure that he is alright. She is almost more responsive to the cries of my son than to the cries of her own pups. Even stranger, we once watched in dismay as she casually positioned herself at my son's side in exactly the way she positions herself in order to feed her own pups! I found myself having to gently pull her away and say to her “No, no Koga. This is MY baby.” Living around our Schipperkes makes it easy to see how the remarkable stories came to be, of feral children who survived in forests after having been adopted by wolves. Perhaps this is what was meant by historical descriptions of the breed when it was said that the Schipperke fully immerses itself in matters of the household. This often overlooked, under mentioned and lessor known breed deserves a place at the very top of the lists of “nanny breeds” and deserves recognition as one of the best breeds out there for families who have young children.