Those who have been reading for a while may recall that last June we got a chow puppy. In the process of describing the history of dogs in our household, I mentioned our first dog–a standard poodle named Walter. Walter was, to make a long story short, a demon dog, a black bastard from the depths of sheol, possessed of every bad trait a dog can have. When we gave his dark heart away to another owner, there was dancing in the streets and more gunfire than a Palestinian 9-11 celebration. Life was good again, and we have spent our years in peace and prosperity with many other critters–cats, dogs, rabbits, even a horse or two–always looking back on Walter as the Dark Ages of Dogdom. Stories of Walter graced every family get-together, as we relived the horror of our vindictive vexatious pet peeve. There was one doctrinal creed, one unimpeachable Truth in our house: we would never get another poodle. Ever. Not in this life, nor the next. ‘Till death do us part. Amen.
But life moves on, and God’s a funny guy sometimes…
Mimi, our chow puppy, started off life as one of the calmest, most affectionate puppies we’ve ever had. Her hidden demons did not appear until she was four months old, when she began to aggressively attack our older chow Lucy, nearly three times her size, with a tenaciousness which had to be seen to be believed. Food contention was first, followed by chew toys, followed by territory, then simply random, vicious attacks which often injured our older dog–and some pretty close calls with our cats as well, whose 9 lives assets lost substantial credit worthiness. She remained very affectionate with us–but despite intense socialization with strangers, was increasingly fearful and started to be aggressive with people as well.
By seven months the decision was clear, after much discussion with trainers and animal behavioralists: Mimi was a dangerous dog. We had to put her to sleep.
Anyone who’s had to put a pet down–even a troubled one such as Mimi–knows how gut-wrenching an experience it is. It is something you never want to deal with again. So we decided, after the events of last fall, that we would let our old chow live in peace before risking her well-being with another dog.
But the desire to get another dog–like the call of the roulette wheel to a gambler–proved too strong to resist. We researched breeds, went to countless dog shows and kennels, trying to find the perfect dog–unwilling to take a chance on another potentially aggressive animal, but still wanting to have a dog with some heft and personality. My wife loves long walks with the dog, and was also interested in doing therapy work at a nearby children’s hospital. Each breed got measured against a long list of positive and negative attributes: friendly with children; medium to large size; easily trained and housebroken; not overly destructive when bored; not requiring huge amounts of activity to stay sane in the house; not aggressive with other dogs; minimal shedding and “dog smell” (which bothers my wife far more than I).
One dog kept popping to the top of the list, again and again: a standard poodle. Yeah, right.
Each time it did, my wife and I looked at each other, laughed, shook our heads–and went on to other breeds. Each one had some fatal flaw, some Achilles heel which made them unsuitable. We kept coming back to the standards. Are we crazy??
We found an excellent breeder in Montana, and grilled her time and time again by e-mail and phone. She heard–many times over–our travails with Walter, and repeatedly swore that her dogs were nothing like that.
So, yes–we’re crazy, certifiable. Our new friend Ben arrived by plane last week. It was love at first site. A light mocha color, calm, devoted, loyal and very affectionate, this dog has all the potential to be a wonderful companion–one of the most special animals we’ve ever owned. He is truly the anti-Walter.
As I said, God’s a funny guy…
Now, before I wreck my reputation as a manly man and a true patriot, let me say this: Ben is not a French poodle–he is a Freedom poodle. No cheese-eating surrender dog here, no sirree. Glad I could put that notion to rest.
Poodles–especially the miniature and toy varieties–are often considered to be “sissy” dogs. The standard–actually the original breed, the others having been bred down in size from them–still maintains this image in many people’s minds–in no small part because they get clipped and groomed like this:
The original poodle clip was a functional one, however–the fur over the joints helped keep them warm when retrieving water foul. The poodle, it turns out, is a very old breed–dogs resembling them appear on Greek and Roman coins, and they were first described in literature in the 16th century. Although the French consider them their national dog, they were in fact first developed in Germany, with some breeding input from Russia and France–the name “poodle” comes from the German word pudel, meaning to “splash in the water.” For they were developed as water retrievers, especially for duck hunting. They were excellent hunting and gun dogs–fast, agile, and easy to train–a fact still widely recognized among the elite:
They excel in agility work and are exceptional athletes:
One little-known fact about poodles is their involvement in the U.S. space program. Poodles have been used to help identify the planet Mars. And recently declassified military documents have revealed–to the surprise of many–a pilot program for training poodles for space flight:
The pilot program was dropped when the poodles proved too intelligent and nuanced for the job–and their French connections posed a security risk. It was also rumored that they opposed space flight before they supported it.
Well, we’re not sure our Ben will live up to the high standards of his canine predecessors–but we’re sure glad he’s part of our family now.
15 comments so far ↓
~m2~ // Feb 26, 2006 at 6:40 am
as i have been down with the flu for what seems like weeks now (really only three days, but still), i had the glorious opportunity of watching the dog show in time for the “best in show” of all the breeds. there was a toy poodle and it was probably one of the most hilarious animals i’ve ever seen; thankfully, the bloodhound won.
your new dog looks like a beauty. i have seen more animals that have my children’s names (ben, max, molly) than i’d care to mention, but hopefully yours will be strong and gentle and a great companion. i am sorry your mimi was so insufferable and know that angst of putting an animal down. it is never easy.
pb // Feb 26, 2006 at 11:16 am
Standard poodles are rather like a great domestic car: good, clean, non-fussy lines, and a temperament everyone can live with.
When I was a kid, our neighborhood was blessed with a wonderful standard. Marcie could run with the mutts like nobody’s business, but was apparently of noble bloodlines. Soon the area was populated with Marcie’s pups, all wearing their hearts on their sleeves and in very great demand, indeed.
Good luck with yours. Probably the best large dog available.
Peggikaye // Feb 26, 2006 at 4:27 pm
I love the standard poodle. I had a friend with one in Junior High. He was great!
I’m with M2, I keep seeing people name their dogs Ben … my son’s name is Benjamin … I had no idea it was such a popular dogs name ….
Robert // Feb 26, 2006 at 5:04 pm
My mom had a cream colored standard just like Ben when I was in high school, but she had to put him down due to joint problems. He was the smartest dog I’ve ever met. But watching my mom yank the hair out of his ears to keep them clear was torture (for me, the dog didn’t mind much.)
photo // Feb 26, 2006 at 5:45 pm
thanks so much for posting this. I love poodles! mine’s a miniature, though.
God bless!
Brutally Honest // Feb 26, 2006 at 6:31 pm
I can’t be surprised…
… by the success of John Grogan’s Marley and Me — Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog: The story is more than a recounting of Marley’s antics that include chewing through doors, expulsion from obedience school, clawing paint
Dr Bob // Feb 26, 2006 at 7:37 pm
His name was originally Nicodemus (Nick)–but Nicki reminded my wife of a bete noir from college, so it got nixed (or Nicked) in the end.
Walter’s ears were a constant headache (we would have to clean them out, the n bribe him with cheese, otherwise he would walk over and urinate on our bed. The lighter-colored poodles are supposed to have less problems–which seems the case so far, although he’s only 3 1/2 months old. Gonna be a big boy, too–already thirty pounds, may end up 80+.
Peggikaye // Feb 26, 2006 at 9:35 pm
Don’t you just love smart animals?
We have a cat, that when my 16 year old doesn’t clean the litter box on schedule (every 36 hours) she goes and gets a shirt of his out of the laundry, pulls it to the litter box and goes on the shirt.
It is never anyone else’s shirt but my 16 year olds ..the person responsible for the litter box.
Smart animals have a way of making their points very well known!
AMERICAN DIGEST // Feb 26, 2006 at 11:50 pm
Break Points
Carter: I can see why Tom [Ford] has been so successful. He can focus his attention on something and hold it for a good spell. GRAYDON CARTER’S in line to become the next president of Harvard. With covers like this what’s not for feminists to like a…
B. Durbin // Mar 5, 2006 at 12:12 pm
Hear you on the behavioral problems— we’re a shelter family, so by the time we get them their personalities are well-developed. But I recall one time my parents unwisely agreed to test a dog with our family, and the problem was she was a wonderful dog… who needed far more attention than we could devote to her. She destroyed a carpet (not a rug) one time while trying to get out of a room.
The sad part was that even after advertising and joining groups for golden retrievers, we couldn’t find her a home and had to take her to the shelter. At least she had a wonderful temperament— for somebody else.
Kerry // Mar 11, 2006 at 6:37 am
My last dog was part standard poodle, part Saint Bernard. She looked like neither, had the build of a rottweiler. When asked, I told people she was a Saint Poodle.
Kitty City // Mar 13, 2006 at 9:28 am
I know I am commenting rather late in the game here… but breeders are the last place I would go to acquire a good dog. You really need to know your genetics and start working with the puppies early so they are socialized. Too many breeders just crank out puppies without thought to qualities such as temperament and aggression. These dogs are then commercially sold to unsuspecting families, who often are not prepared for the problems they encounter.
I’ve heard that their heavy hair coat makes chows more challenging to train, the theory being that the hair reduces their touch sensation and also tends to block some of their peripheral vision. They go through life more “on the alert” as it were.
Your local animal shelter would have been a wonderful place to find a new dog. Contrary to belief, shelters take in purebreds as well as mixed breeds. There also are breed-specific rescue organizations. (Just putting in a plug here for anyone else who may be reading this.)
I was sorry to hear about Mimi. Hope you enjoy your new member of the family.
Eileen // Apr 10, 2006 at 9:44 am
We’ve owned a poodle for 4 years. She was truly wonderful in almost every way. We loved her. However, despite training and attempts to socialize her, she became increasingly fearful, anxious, aggressive, and mean towards strangers.. What a problem it became; whenever we had friends over, she turned evil. Dinner parties were impossible, unless we crated her, which made our kids miserable.
One day, she actually bit my 13 year old’s friend on the arm. We contacted 4 behaviorists who all agreed she should be returned to the breeder. We did that this past weekend and we’re all miserable because she was a much loved family member.
So we’re considering a goldendoodle, yes, a designer dog. My heart lies with a standard, but we’re afraid to get another one.
How is your new standard, Ben? Is he calm or crazy? Is he good with strangers? Did you have him shipped to you? I’m checking out your breeder in Montana… Let me know how it’s going.
Thanks,
Eileen
Dr Bob // Apr 10, 2006 at 10:09 am
Ben has been a dream dog so far–very calm for a 4 month puppy, good-humored, friendly although a little head-shy.
He was shipped from Montana, very high quality breeder as best we can determine. She does a very thorough dispostion evaluation as well before selling her dogs.
We were very gun shy before getting another poodle, as our first was a major disaster.
We’re crossing our fingers, but so far he’s been a great friend.
The only goldendoodle I’ve known was nuts–extremely hyper, ADD dog. Did a post on him here.
Sunday Suggestions | The Doctor Is In // Jul 30, 2007 at 5:33 am
[…] All-star cast (although Johnny Depp said he wasn’t interested in the lead — loser), but Ben my 70-pound standard poodle was enthusiastic about the part (he’s enthusiastic about everything), and has been pounding […]