Poodles

I have never really thought much about them in a serious way. I do remember a friend with two standards and thinking how elegant they were. I have had some misconceptions about them. I have thought them kind of yappy and such. But my thoughts kept going back to the two Standards my friend had. They were so Gorgeous

Another family that we are friends with has a standard. Annie has always impressed me. Here is this huge standard black poodle that is very well trained and thinks she is a lap dog. Thanks to Dan, Diane & Sarah for making me think seriously about getting a poodle. They were there with answers to my questions, books to read and just great stories about Annie.

We were not in the market for a dog when I was thinking about a poodle, but tragedy struck. Right after Cary & I returned from our honeymoon last year, our Silkie was killed right outside our house by a car. It took a while, but soon we had the urge to go looking at the local Humane Society. We went a couple of times and no dog really caught our eye. One day, we saw this rasta-y mid sized dog. A bit shy, but interested. We took him out for a stroll on the grounds and fell in love. We made the arrangements to pick up our new poodle the next day. The only information they had on the dog was that it was around 2 years old, had been in a back yard for that time and the people dropping him off didn't even know the name. Oh, and that it was a purebred poodle. We had a brainstorming session in the car on the way from the HS and came up with the name Bisbee.......named after the town where we spent our honeymoon. Bisbee went to the groomer's the day after we got him, when Cary went to pick him up, he didn't know which one Bisbee was as they had to cut him down so far to get rid of the matted hair. He looked great and more like a poodle should.

Bisbee had no idea what a treat was, or that a ball was to chase, or any commands. We decided to let Bisbee go through puppy hood with us as we felt he never really had that. He has grown into one great dog. We did some research and found out that poodles are very smart. I joined a poodle list online to ask questions about the breed and to share information with others. I have learned alot.

It was through the list that I made friends with a lady in Phoenix. Cary & I were so happy with Bisbee that we decided we wanted another poodle to share our lives. We checked with the poodle rescue in Phoenix. With all the bird rescue we do, we felt it only fair that we open our heart and home to another poodle who needed rescuing. We were contacted by our friend who had a specific poodle in mind for us. But this poodle was not a rescue. This was a poodle that was a breeder. Her owner stops breeding at a certain age and then finds good "pet" homes for them. Thank You Jane!!!!!

We went up to visit 5 year old Miss Scarlette. What a cutie. Bisbee is a cream caniche and she is an apricot miniature. She reminded me of the cockatoos in that she was a love sponge and velcro dog. In order to let each one of us to hold her we had to pick her up and hold her as she was not leaving the current lap she was on. We decided then and there that she was going to be ours. Our friend Sherry brought her down to us right before Thanksgiving on her way down to be with us that weekend. Because of that ride down here, we were sure that Miss Scarlette thought Sherry was her new mom! Scarlette would follow Sherry around all over the house.

At first she was a very timid little girl. A poodle Klingon was more like it. She loves to hold onto you with both feet around your neck. You can actually let go and she will still be hanging around!

After a dental visit where 5 teeth were pulled, her perkiness started to show. She became more puppy-like and bouncy. I guess those teeth had been bothering her for awhile. Then we had her spayed. You should see her now. She is the bouncy-est, tail-waggin-est, happy little one I have seen. She & Bisbee are finally getting along better. She is now letting him know that she will not let him bully her around like when she first got here.

I would highly recommend a poodle. But I have learned the importance of research on the breed you are interested in. I would Never go to a puppy mill to get a dog. I recommend finding a good breeder who does genetic testing and knows the line that your new puppy comes from. AND a good vet to do the things necessary to keep those dogs in the best of health. Each breed has it's drawbacks health wise. Poodles can get epilepsy. But having dealt with ideopathic epilepsy in lovebirds ( see Lovebird page ), I feel handling that problem, should it occur, will be acceptable to me. I marvel at Miss Scarlette now as she gnaws away at those chewy bones. where before it hurt her too much to do that. I am impressed with the intelligence of the poodle and how quickly they learn new things. Watching them run is one of my favorite things to do. They have a wonderful gait that is a pleasure to see.

Bisbee and Miss Scarlette have added alot to our lives. Whenever we come home, it is so wonderful to see the streak of poodles running to greet us.

Thanks to my online friends I have learned quite a bit about poodles. But having one is the best experience.
I will be adding some poodle links as soon as I glean them from my list buddies..............

UPDATE........

Announcing the arrival of our newest Poodle into our home.

This is our first rescue poodle by the name of Bisbee. He is taller than a miniature and smaller than a standard, so we were told he is a Caniche.

Here is "Frankly Miss Scarlette" our apricot Miniature

This is our newest boy, Jericho. At 5 months, he is only 40 lbs....

Here are the two poos enjoying the Arizona sun.....