JuSt FoR FuN

Thank You Sara for your borrowed kisses...............

It has to be said that some poodle trims do for dogs what rococo did for church architecture. In the extremities of elaboration they have variegated patterns, and sometimes even the owner's name, cut into the coat. A standard look for dog shows is to have several "poms", or balls of hair, left standing out sharply on shaved limbs, with a final huge puff, on the end of the docked tail.

A form of dog topiary, it's something people can shape and fashion at will. Dogs being cut into silly shapes – although my dogs usually look like Q-tips, Most retired show dogs and peoples pet poodles look like Rastas half the time and the other half of the time, they look like a greyhounds, whippets and Italian greyhounds.

It probably does not help the poodle's image that the dogs have been bred downwards in size. The standard poodle is about 15 inches or higher at the shoulder, but then we have the miniature poodle (12 or 13in)‚ and the toy poodle, at 10in or even less.

Combine the small size with the fantastic trim, and we have pretty much lost sight of the hard-working, hunky hunting dog of the German marshes. What we're left with is the quintessence of the artificially dainty, something bobbing along the street, something we see in the mind's eye trotting beside a mink coat and high heels.

Thank you Madison for your leggs.....

Ch. excell's look who's cookin'

There's something about their image that's a bit 1950s, and there's no doubt about it; the poodle's heart may be splendid, and its lineage noble, but its prissy image is too strong to shake!