Doberman got me on the backside at 8, and I haven't trusted any dog big enough to do damage since. I didn't know the name of the phobia, too many to remember them all lol. It doesn't look like Schipperkes fall into that category. I haven't seen one before but I gotta say it's cute.
Schips may be little guys - average weight around 15 pounds - and they are (in my slightly biased opinion) the cutest of dogs, but they're not lap dogs and they're definitely not the sort to be everybody's buddy on first meeting. They were bred to be guard dogs, and I can tell you from personal experience that they are very protective. Guarding things or people is instinctive for them. Apparently Prince William of Orange, the 16th Century national hero of Belgium, was saved from a would-be assassin by a couple of Schipperkes. It's a very old story, so who knows for sure, but I find it quite believable. The little black devils, as they're often called, are definitely to be respected.
I was raised with dogs all my life and have rarely been afraid of any dog, but a cat once bit me for no reason whatsoever and I have never trusted cats since then. I'm not afraid of cats, I just strongly prefer dogs.
