Schipperkes are funny little creatures!! I call them "energizer-bunny dogs" as they just keep going.......I like cats and we thought about getting one a while back. After much thought, we decided a dog would be easier to deal with. Our GSD is quite good at killing rodents, but she's way to big to get them in the smaller spots. So we have talked about getting another Schipperke. They were originally used as ratters and watchdogs. Both of the ones we had were very good at those jobs. Our old girl was even better than bat ears GSD at noticing stuff outside even when she was mostly deaf and going blind with old age. I'm not really a terrier person, more into the spitz and herding types, so Schipperkes fit well for me since their closest relative is the Belgian Shepherd (which I'd like as well, so does DH).
They seem to live forever too, which is cool!