"Within each one of us there is another one that we don't know." (Carl Jung.)

 In these times we have to admit that these are “very strange times”, despite that we are confronted, by all means, with those who “believe they know more than others about this virus, and“ speak like true “scientists” about the measures that say “should have already been taken and when they were taken, were not those that were taken and therefore shouldn't have been those, but others? But what others? And why all this behavior of these people? I believe that not even they know ………! As Alvin Toffler, who wrote in the last century, said: “The illiterates of the next century are not those who cannot read or write, but those who refuse to learn, relearn and return to learn”

And, perhaps because of that, today I decided to write about JÚNIOR - as you know is my Schipperke dog - a little of its history, characteristics and curiosities. I also take the opportunity to answer some “questions” that have been put to me regarding the photos, which I usually put here to accompany my “writings. The photos are of my dog ​​- Júnior - is a dog, who was born on May 6, 2018, of a breed with Schipperke origin that is somewhat unknown, but some researches show similarities with Spitz and the Belgian Shepherd dogs. Some hypotheses also suggest that the breed already existed in the 15th century in the Netherlands and would come from other small breeds of herding dogs known as "Leuvénaars", which are now missing. The name Schipperke means "Little Shepherd", and some studies suggest that the breed originated in Belgium in the 16th century. Currently, the breed, which is considered in the 12 breeds of dogs in danger of extinction, is widely used for companionship or guarding. As you have seen, Júnior is an elegant dog, which stands out for its intelligence and ability to learn new things, which leads us to reflect how we should learn from dogs !. “Our pets are so short-lived and yet they spend most of their time waiting for us to come home every day. It is amazing how much love and joy they bring into our lives, and how close we are to each other because of them. ”(Marley and Me).

I leave here, also, some characteristics of Júnior (Schipperke), it measures about 36 cm and weighs, now about 9.3 Kg, as you can see, it is a dog of elegant appearance and very robust, its coat is black, dense and shiny, being shorter on the ears, head and face, and presenting a longer coat in regions such as the tail, outside of the thighs and around the neck, where a mane is formed. Every morning, before breakfast, it is properly combed and brushed. Júnior's ears (Schipperke) are pointed and his eyes are very expressive. The posture is firm and the limbs are muscular and elegant.

On the other hand, I can add that it is a docile, calm and very serene dog. He has a determined temperament and a very protective spirit, in addition to being sociable with children and adults. Júnior has a strong instinct for protection, is considered an excellent watchdog, being always alert and attentive to everything that happens around him, loves to play, especially to play ball, run and knows all corners of the house as no one, is smart and can learn things easily and quickly. In addition, he is very curious and obedient. Schipperke have a high life expectancy and generally live above 15 years. They need daily exercise to expend energy. So Junior not only “takes me for a walk twice a day”, but twice a month will “take” training classes at the Canine University of Alpiarça. As Milan Kundera wrote: “Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know about evil, envy or discontent. Sitting with a dog at the foot of a hill on a beautiful afternoon is returning to Eden where doing nothing was not boredom, it was peace. ”