The 17th annual Santa Barbara French Festival was a tres bon party this year, with the Poodle Parade on Sunday afternoon drawing oohs and aahs all around. Even for some entrants who, according to the Santa Barbara News-Press, appeared to be somewhat less than poodle-ish.

That hulking 100+ pound Burmese Mountain Dog named Gunther didn’t fool very many parade attendees, despite his French racing cap or the fact that he was pulling a cartload of four toy poodles in the parade. Nor did Alan Fay’s Chihuahua named de Gaulle. Last year Fay entered his Doberman named Fifi, so he obviously believes his canines are French ‘enough’ to pass muster. That Chihuahua’s got “a lot of de Gaulle to get in this parade,” Fay joked. Joking has quite a bit to do with the Poodle Parade. It’s all in good fun.

“They say poodles are supposed to be smart,” said Allen Harrison of Burbank of a certain Winslow [a genuine poodle]. “But he made several mistakes on my income taxes.”

In the end there was general agreement that this year’s Poodle Parade was no more or less hilarious than any of the past parades. “To me, it was all just one endless stream of canine topiary,” remarked emcee and director Steve Hoegerman.

Yes, we are now just over two weeks away from Halloween, so those costumes for the kiddies and their canine friends have become a pressing issue. I mentioned last week the best reasons for outfitting the dog (increasing the sugar take, upping the odds on your kids winning the contest at the mall, etc.), and linked a couple of good sites for pre-made costumes.

This week, I’ll share some wonderful photos of dogs in costume, of which the above is just one. They are to be found at the excellent Dog Guide blog, and many of them are imaginative enough to have you laughing out loud. These aren’t all poodles, of course, but they’re good costume ideas for those handy with a needle and thread. It’s not hard to squint your eyes just a bit and imagine your proud and meticulously groomed poodle in these costumes, knowing that even if other entrants in the costume contest sport similar costumes on their various mutts, your dog’s ever so superior breeding will shine forth to make the effect even more laughable.

Of course, my all-time favorite poodle costume was one I’d made originally for my 3-year old grandson, who didn’t stay that size for very long. The next year I simply cut two front leg holes in it and put it on the Pood, which actually managed to triple grandson’s booty that year because the neighbors were so delighted. It was your basic dinosaur costume (Simplicity, if I recall) stuffed with crumpled newspapers to give it a nice round shape. So do go on over to Hounds of Halloween 2008! 45 Incredible Costumed Canines and tickle your funny bone!

If your poodle family has poodle kids – or if you’re a grandma like me, and are too old to be embarrassed by childish things – then you’ll have a great deal of fun with a simple game from Yuckles called Mr. Poodle Head. Yes, there’s a fine black poodle head, and all sorts of nifty accessories to drag and drop into place. Various ears, eyes, noses, bow ties, mustaches, hats and sill mouths can turn Mr. Poodle Head into something a lot funnier than Mr. Potato Head! I foresee many hours of fun with this one.

And now that it’s officially October, you might want to consider what costume you’d like to have for your poodle while you’re outfitting the kids. A well-dressed poodle carrying one of those plastic Jack-o-Lantern goody containers can significantly expand your children’s take for the night of door-to-door begging. Most costumes come in small, medium and large, and some suppliers offer patterns if you sew as well as tiny tea size costumes.

In addition to the pictured pirate costume, Yuckles also offers the standard superheroes (Batman, Superman, Spiderman and Wonder Woman), the full range of Star Wars character costumes (Yoda is the best, just for the ears!), your basic princess and ballerina and harem girl costumes for lady dogs (or male dogs in drag), and a few pun-ny costumes like “Watch Dog,” “Hot Dog” and “Lucky Dog.”

If your offspring are female, do consider the standard 1950s style Poodle Skirt with crinolines, sweater and scarf. That way all the poodle needs is a nice mask and matching scarf, those passing out treats will be delighted!

I spent some years hating Christmas, I admit. It’s because I’m an elf. When we first moved to the mountains of western North Carolina 15 years ago, we of course went looking for work for which we were suited. Our family entertainment company made a good living for us in Florida, where our clowns, jugglers, fire eaters, super heroes, puppet shows and other costumed characters were hard at work every weekend and most of the week. But there aren’t a million people in a 30 mile radius of this homestead.

We used to have up to a dozen clown-elves covering six malls from the week before Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve. We have the costumes and the skills, so signed on as “Papa and Mama Elf” – plus Bob and Kenya the Christmas poodles – to do the stage shows at a seedy Christmas theme park in Cherokee. Basic clown stuff, some juggling and some dumb magic tricks. Bob and Kenya sported Elizabethan red and green collars, did the meet-and-greet at the theater door and gladly accepted love from the kids on their way out after the show was done. The kids loved it. The poodles loved it. We didn’t love it all that much…

Six shows a day, seven days a week, six months a year from May through October. In god-awful costumes, wigs, hats, tights, striped thigh socks and curly felt boots that are hot to wear in December. We quickly found that in July when it’s 95º in the shade, they’re unbearable.

Of course the park blared Christmas carols through loudspeakers all day every day, the same carols on the same loop, endlessly. Then we took two weeks off and went right into Christmas at the mall. Luckily for us, the Santa from the park was also the mall Santa, so we had an automatic in with the marketing director. That Santa was the best. A kind and portly man with honest twinkling eyes, real snow-white hair and perfectly manicured beard, he had been in show biz all his life. Father was a magician with a traveling medicine show out west, did great disappear-reappear stuff because he was the father of two sets of identical twins, girls and boys. Santa’s identical twin was a magician who ran the magic shop at the park. He was a mean drunk with a penchant for wife-beating, an awful man I called “Santa’s Evil Twin.” But that’s another story…

Anyway, I hated Christmas because after ‘doing Christmas’ for for a living 8 months of the year it seems so… anticlimactic. It’s very easy to get jaded if your job is Christmas. Where the consumerist frenzy, endless parade of spoiled children and emo teenagers, and way too many Bah Humbug parents can certainly get you down.

Then… then… there are those truly magical moments that make it all seem worthwhile. That occasional child who really, truly believes in magic and can make you believe it too… sigh.

Okay. I don’t hate Christmas, probably never REALLY did. It’s been good to us over the years. And I don’t care what anybody’s religious anger issues are, if you see Mama or Papa Elf in the mall or on the street during the holiday season, you’re entirely likely to hear a cheery “Merry Christmas!” whether you like it or not. Rudeness will earn a “merry humbug to you too, grumpy!” …and that at least gives kids a chuckle (line from The Muppet Christmas Carol).

It’s a dirty job. Somebody’s got to do it.

Merry Christmas from Mama and Papa Elf!

In the last post I listed some books featuring poodles that might make good holiday gifts for the readers on your list. In this post we’ll take a look at all the other poodle gifts out there! My Mother-in-Law has been collecting dog figurines ever since she was a teenager, and breaks them out every Christmas to display and enjoy. So I was aware that little porcelain, plastic and resin poodle figurines are available at a number of gift shops because I’ve bought them.

But when I went surfing for poodle gifts, I was somewhat amazed at how many different kinds of poodle gifts a poodle person could find to buy or get! I’ll just list and link some here to give you ideas, and if you hurry most of these could be delivered before Christmas. I’m ignoring the poodle figurines, but most of these outlets have those too.

Over at Animal Krackers they’ve got poodle snowglobes and poodle mantle clocks. They’ve got poodle art prints, note cards and stationery. For the kitchen and dining room they’ve got poodle cutting boards, aprons, kitchen towels, dinner napkins, coasters and tiles. Poodle paper towel holders, poodle cookie jars, serving bowls, plates, platters, pitchers and casserole dishes.

How about a hand-painted poodle mailbox for that special someone? Or, for the dedicated gardener in your life, poodle watering cans, vases, buckets and baskets. For someone like me who blogs about poodles and surfs for poodle stuff, a nice poodle mouse pad would be nice. A poodle walking stick would be handy for walking the poodles, and I could hang the poodle leashes on a poodle leash-hanger!

A poodle belt buckle is just the thing for my pood-crazy hubby, along with a poodle panama hat. Poodle bottle and wine toppers are nice for those who keep a stocked bar, and poodle Christmas Cards are something I should get now for use next year. Poodle Christmas ornaments are always a big hit, and a poodle Christmas tree topper would be unusual. And I know just who to get that giant poodle nutcracker for…

At the Dog Decor website there are even more poodle gifts. It’s too late to get some of the custom items for this Christmas, but you could always get a head start on next year. Other items ship the next day and will get there in time if you order by the 16th. They’ve a wonderful selection of poodle jewelry – earrings, necklaces, charms, pendants and tie clips in enamel, gold and silver. There are poodle desk pen sets that are nice. For more unusual poodle trinkets, they’ve an entire selection of poodle ceiling fan pulls, patriotic poodle t-shirts and bill caps, poodle golf club head covers and poodle garden stakes. Their selection of poodle ornaments is impressive too.

Both of these outlets also offer the same sort of items for other breeds of dog, in case you’re like us and end up mixing and matching your canine friends. Or you could check out the cool poodle stuff while shopping for friends who’d better appreciate them in Boston Terrier or Border Collie instead of Poodle.

So once again, time is running out. Get shopping, Poodle People!

Also check out this article on great gift ideas for your dog.

Links:

Animal Krackers

Dog Decor

PUDELZ gifts

Danbury Mint Poodle Collectables

Kritters in the Mailbox

For all of us Poodle People, poodle gifts are at the top of our own wish lists and always catch our eyes when browsing for other people’s presents. Because I’ve been busy all week browsing for books for the family (we’re all avid readers who treasure our books), I thought some cool poodle books might be the order of the day.

50 Acres and a Poodle
Jeanne Marie Laskas

The editorial and customer reviews for 50 Acres and a Poodle make me think this book would be a great gift for all the Poodle People in my life. There’s nothing any of us like better than to tell poodle stories to anyone who will listen to them, and this looks to be 291 pages of poodle story!

It’s about a writer who, while a certified city-person, spends many a weekend with her Poodle Person boyfriend dream-shopping for a country farm. One day the perfect place becomes available and off they go to do their own re-run of Green Acres. The result is the story of Laskas, Alex and Marley the Poodle down on the farm. I’ve ordered a copy for …someone. Until I figure out who needs it most, I’ll consider it mine.

The Adventures of Super Gonz
Mitchell Yost

In The Adventures of Super Gonz a poodle named Gonzo gains super powers after being hit by a car. When his sister is captured by an evil dog catcher, Super Gonz goes into action to save her. This short story (42 pages) would be a good book for a young reader who loves poodles and super heroes.

Eddie Goes to Kindergarten
Deborah J. Hall

Eddie Goes to Kindergarten is another short (25 pages) children’s book about a standard poodle named Eddie who was training to be a service dog when he visited a kindergarten and learned about the many other careers he could choose if being a service dog turned out not to be his bag. This is a book that teaches kids what helpful jobs dogs can do, so if you have little ones this might make a great stocking stuffer.

Alvin And Amanda vs. The Library of Doom
Alan Zuckerman

For teens and pre-teens who like mysteries, …The Library of Doom is a good choice. It’s about a couple who escape the corporate rat-race by becoming country dwellers and librarians. Just when things are looking great, Alvin is accused of murdering the library’s manager. With the expert help of their poodle Feynman they manage to solve the mystery and live happily ever after.

Sawdust and Greasepaint
Rob Harrell

For the comic book lovers on your Christmas list, Sawdust and Greasepaint follows the circus adventures of Rob Harrell’s popular Big Top comic strip heroes Pete, Dusty the Poodle, Wink the Bear and Stucco the Clown.

The Perky Polka-Dotted Poodle
Harry Highstreet

For the youngest of the Poodle People on your gift list, this is a ‘read aloud’ book for children, all about the letter ‘p’. According to the description of The Perky Polka-Dotted Poodle, the story is about a “journey with a playful poodle and his pot-pourris of plentiful partners.”

So get shopping, Poodle People! Christmas is almost upon us!

I have previously posted about Bob’s death, his unfortunate demise of systemic cancer when he was only 8 years old. He had by then become so much a part of our family that we tried everything we could afford to try when the vet said his condition could be treated. That meant chemo-for-dogs, and the results weren’t very pretty.

He was diagnosed with cancer just a year after our son had died, and we just couldn’t face another family tragedy – my own father had died of a heart attack just months later, my husband’s father had a heart attack the day of our son’s funeral. We’d had our fill of grief to last some years.

We packed up bob and the rest of the family and headed out to Oklahoma to spend Thanksgiving with my husband’s mother, who had promised to cook her very last turkey if we’d make the trip. How could we refuse? Bob’s chemo had definitely taken a toll by then. His hair had been falling out in clumps, making him look rather mangey, and he was putting on weight like nobody’s business. I’d say that was just the steroids, but his appetite was voracious. Poor guy.

My brother-in-law and his wife and four kids were all there, the four of us plus Bob, and the grandparents. I’d been working all day to prepare all the side dishes, so when the turkey came out of the oven I had set it aside at the far end of the counter to await completion of the rest of the feast. We family members gathered in the big living room to hold hands and give our thanks, and Bob snuck into the kitchen…

By the time Grandma and I got there to put everything into bowls for the buffet, Bob had that turkey on the floor and was finishing off a drumstick, preparing to go for the other one. I was mortified! Grandma’s last turkey dinner, and Bob had ruined it! I prepared all my defenses, feeling very sorry for Bob and not all that sorry for us. My dear mother-in-law, however, surprised me.

She started laughing. I mean, really laughing, out loud. She called the whole family in, bent down to get the turkey away from Bob (who shouldn’t be eating turkey bones, y’know), and gave him a mighty hug with tears rolling down her cheeks. Poor Bob! She loved that dog nearly as much as we did, as he’d assigned himself as Grandma guardian after my father-in-law’s heart attack, never left her side the whole time he was in the hospital and recovering at our house, even slept at the foot of her bed.

She told me her life was now complete, she’d had a turkey eaten by the dog on Thanksgiving! It would be a funny story she’d get great mileage out of forevermore, and not a single member of the family complained that only the breast was left for us to eat. We just washed it off and put it on the table, my hubby carved it like usual, and the kids ate it without a qualm.

We had to put Bob down just a couple of months later, but Grandma still talks very fondly about him and cherishes the story of Bob and her Last Thanksgiving Turkey. Now I roast the turkeys, and she doesn’t have to raise a finger. Grandpa’s gone now, and she doesn’t do much cooking. Yet every Thanksgiving in all the years since, no matter where she’s having dinner, she tells the story and always gets a laugh. You just haven’t lived a full life, she tells people, unless you’ve had your Thanksgiving turkey eaten by the dog at least once!

Thanksgiving is a great holiday, always a major Big Deal here on the mountain. That all started decades ago when we lived in Oklahoma, and signed on as the communications directors for a grant-based hunger project called “The Whole World Family Supper” that was scheduled to be a Thanksgiving feast for everybody, everywhere.

All of a sudden our little family gatherings just weren’t enough anymore. By the time we’d moved to Florida and became full time performers – with a friends list that included circus folk, traveling medicine shows and all sorts of other itinerant musicians and crusty jugglers – Thanksgiving became an annual pilgrimage to a St. Augustine boatyard an ex-Air Force friend managed. Price of admission was at least one homeless person or otherwise destitute person, and it got bigger every year. By the time we moved to North Carolina the boatyard Thanksgiving feast (a pot-luck affair) offered 4 turkeys and two hams pit-cooked by our host, at least 60 people, and stretched out with leftovers for the entire 4-day holiday weekend.

Now that we’re here on the mountain it’s still a Big Deal. We average at least 24 people every year, which is a heck of a crowd to host in a 28′ square cabin complete with dogs. And we often have 7 or 8 dog guests too, friends of our poods and strays, part of our many friends and family’s families. They get Thanksgiving Dinner too. It is a family supper, after all, and dogs are family.

We usually have a couple of turkeys, sometimes three. Not everybody eats turkey – some here are certifiable vegetarians, others are vegetarians who make a special exception for holiday feasts. I usually cook one a day or two in advance, slice up nicely and pack into tupperware for seconds and thirds. That way I only have to cook one for presentation’s sake, whether the food table’s on the deck, out in the yard, or inside the cabin because it’s raining (or, God forbid, snowing). It can get really crowded when that happens, so we feed the dogs in the shed and quite a few guests will choose to consume their meal there too.

Now, dogs can’t eat everything I make for Thanksgiving. It takes some thought and preparation to concoct them a fine homemade dog feast. By cooking the extra turkey beforehand, I’ve the neck and giblets as well as juices and pickings that we don’t need to use for the dog meal. To that I can add the neck and giblets from the T-Day turkey too. I boil these good, pick off any meat from the neck, and discard the bones. I get an extra bag or two of bread stuffing mix (it’s cheap), sometimes go ahead and cook up a cake pan of cornbread the night before too. The bread and cornbread gets crumbled into a big tupperware container and I pour the giblets boiling water and roast drippings over it, mix it all up well.

Trick for the dogs is not to add any salt, any butter, any cooking oils, any chopped onions, celery or herbs that I use in preparing stuffing for humans. I add turkey skin to the giblet boiling water too, but this has to be removed from the mix because it’s hard for dogs to digest. Don’t make gravy out of this stuff, the dogs will like it just as it is. While making up the side dishes I usually put a scoop or two of mashed potatoes and some hopping john into the bucket to mix in well too. Chop those giblets up so they’re the size of the picked turkey meat.

I divvy this all up in old pie tins according to how many dogs are present. Feeding them down in the shed while we’re eating keeps them from being underfoot and begging food they shouldn’t have from the human diners. Dogs shouldn’t have anything sweet, fruity, highly salted or with large butter/oil parts. They should of course never have turkey bones either.

The links below offer useful information about what dogs can and can’t share of your Thanksgiving dinner. Plan ahead and your canine family members won’t have to be left out of the celebration.

Links:

Could Thanksgiving Dinner Kill Your Dog?

A Dog’s Thanksgiving Day

Include Fido In The Feast!