- Time for A Presidential Poodle!
- Alternative Supports for Cancer
- More Great Doggie Costumes!
- Fun For Kids: Poodle Stuff
- Famous Poodle People
- An Enclosure Full of Trouble
- Meet Creole and Gumbo
- Shaving The Poodle
- Search Poodle Training: Socialization
- Workout Video for Poodles
- Adoption
- April Fools
- Cancer
- Dog Intelligence
- Family Feasts
- Fostering
- Grooming
- Health
- History
- Holidays
- Humor
- Longevity
- Nutrition
- Poodle Accessories
- Poodle Books
- Poodle Crossbreeds
- Poodle Gifts
- Poodle Hair
- Poodle Lore
- Poodle Love
- Poodle Personality
- Poodle Quirks
- Poodle Rescue
- Poodle Skills
- Poodle Videos
- Poodle Wear
- Poodles
- Rescue Stories
- Research
- Service Poodles
- Show Poodles
- Showing Off
- Sporting
- Training
- Working
Alternative Supports for Cancer
October 27th, 2008
I have written previously about the sad fact that poodles (and boxers, and some other breeds) are prone to developing cancer. My own family has lost more than one beloved pet to this insidious disease. Most experts believe cancer is triggered primarily by environmental causes in both humans and their pets, though certain genetic weaknesses make it easier to trigger.
Alas, a friend this past week discovered that his beloved dog has lymphoma, a systemic cancer. He is currently out of work (as are millions of others with millions more to come in the current economic crisis), was devastated that he simply cannot afford the expensive chemotherapy his vet suggested. Feeling very depressed about losing his sweet dog in addition to all the other troubles his struggling family is facing, he felt entirely helpless and more than a little bit like a total failure.
So I wrote him a nice little email about my experience with canine cancer, and how that very expensive chemotherapy isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Not only does it not gain the dog any arguably high quality time on the planet, it causes many peripheral problems too. Our dear Bob’s beautiful poodle hair fell out, he suddenly gained so much weight he could hardly walk, and time for “The Shot” came right on schedule anyway, he didn’t gain a single day. Even though it cost us $1500 way back in the 1990s, and those costs have doubled or tripled in the years since.
Filed under Cancer, Health, Poodle Love, Poodle Quirks | Comment (0)How “Intelligent” Are Our Dogs… Really?
November 29th, 2007
Imagine watching a Big Headline News story blaring the “shocking” news that scientists have discovered that dogs can tell the difference between red lights and green lights. Whoa, you might think, you guys believed they were red-green color blind? How did you make this earth-shattering discovery, the CNN interviewer innocently asks…
“Vell,” the white-haired egghead in the lab coat begins in his thick Austrian accent, “ve taught zem how to drive, and found zey stopped at all ze red lights while proceeding through all ze green lights!”
It’s the cognitive dissonance that makes a joke like this funny. But wait! There’s more, and no, it’s NOT a joke!
Filed under Dog Intelligence, Poodle Personality, Poodle Quirks, Poodle Skills, Research, Showing Off | Comments (2)The Flying Poodle and the Bear
November 1st, 2007
Her AKC registration name was “Kenya Queen Reba Amelia E.” She’s the only giant mutant mountain poodle… er, Imperial-size standard that we ever actually bought. Got her as a black hairball puppy from a couple whose actual business was to breed English Bulldogs in Savannah. The mama was their house pet, an impressive black. Paid $550 for her, had our pick of a litter of 6.
We’d answered an ad for the puppies, checked first to see if there were any close relatives or cousins in her bloodline and Uncle Bob’s. We wanted them to be a pair, and they were quite the pair. Though they never managed to have any pups of their own.
The naming of Kenya was quite the ordeal in a family with strong opinions and favorites. My husband wanted to name her “Queenie,” but only because his parents never let him name one of their dogs Queenie, and he thought it was a great dog name. I thought it was right up there with “Rover” or “Fido” - awful.
Filed under Poodle Lore, Poodle Love, Poodle Personality, Poodle Quirks, Poodles | Comment (0)The Personality of Poodles
September 27th, 2007
“They say poodles aren’t ‘real’ dogs. At least, that’s what I tell motel desk people when we’re on the road with our Imperials and they say dogs aren’t allowed. It almost always works. In truth, their intelligence is amazingly human-like. They learn quickly, are highly creative, and love to be stars.”
That’s from the ‘About’ page of this blog. It describes something every ‘Poodle Person’ knows, and it’s honestly isn’t that difficult to convince other people - like your average motel desk clerk - that it’s true.
For a young guy being set up with a blind date, ‘personality’ isn’t necessarily a strong recommendation. Parents attempting to deal with a high-energy, short attention span child who might be better off on Ritalin, ‘personality’ can be a descriptive defense mechanism. The word itself contains the noun ‘person’, which does seem fairly exclusive to human beings. Yet poodles are famous for having personality to spare.
Filed under Health, Poodle Lore, Poodle Personality, Poodle Quirks, Poodles, Showing Off | Comment (0)