Across the Fence: Spitz

If you are familiar with dog breeds, you might have come across another Germanism in the English language: Spitz (pronounce: shpits, meaning pointed). Indeed, the dog race is named for the shape of its muzzle.

Apparently (thank you, Wikipedia!) Spitz dogs have already been depicted in ancient Egypt around 2600 B.C. and in ancient Greece (around 500 B.C.). But it was an eye-opener for me to look into what marks a dog to belong among the Spitz dogs: basically, any canine that has a pointed nose, a tail curved over its back, and a double coat – a waterproof one close to the body, a warmth-insulating one on top. The Chow Chow belongs with them as well as the Russian Laika, the African Basenji, or the Karelian Bear Dog (which is, indeed, bred for hunting big game, even so-called predators, and not really meant to be a company dog aka family dog)

I imagine that Pomeranians, a small version of the Spitz, are so popular because they have such a cute smile and are small, therefore easier to keep in more confined spaces such as apartments. I certainly remember that the lady living across from us when I was a toddler, then preschooler, had a Spitz. I’m not sure it was a Pomeranian, though.

Of course, any kid growing up with the bad boys Max and Moritz, creatures by German artist and poet Wilhelm Busch, is familiar with Spitz dogs. The story is about two friends who torture people and animals alike; but they end as badly as they have lived. So, it’s one of these children’s stories of the mid-1800s that teaches moral values while being more than black-humored. Some say it was never meant to be a children’s book because of its cruelty, others even interpret the story as criticism of contemporary politics or of sociology. Basically, it’s probably one of the first cartoons ever, narrated in couplets. In the story’s second chapter, Max and Moritz prank Widow Bolte aka Widow Tibbets, whose chicken they have already killed in the first chapter, once again. As she decides to cook her chicken and she descends into the basement to fetch some sauerkraut (another Germanism!) as a side dish, the boys climb the roof and steal the chicken by use of fishing poles. Widow Tibbets’ Spitz (!) observes the theft but, as it is the only living being around when she finds the pan empty, is deemed to be the thief and gets punished. You bet, kids felt sorry and upset for the injustice against the Spitz!

Here, I have to admit, my narrative about Spitz dogs has to end. I don’t know any around here nor have I known any after moving away from the house with the only one that I ever encountered on a more or less regular basis. I’m not even sure whether I’d recognize any of the bigger Spitz dogs for their race. But then, they probably couldn’t care less about my ability to categorize them. I don’t think that dogs think along these typically human lines …