I Thought I Wanted a Puppy

by Mary W. (Poodle Momma)
(Daytona Beach, Fl)

Laci the Chair Queen

In December of 1988, my hubby gave me my first Standard Poodle, a wonderful blue ball of fur and love we named Snowball, (Her name is another story!) She was our only poodle for many years.

When she turned 6, I decided to add to our poodle family and found a local breeder who had black puppies available. I went to visit and choose my pup.

I was greeted at the door by the breeder and a bouncy cream Standard Poodle girl. She followed us in to see the pups and stayed close by my side. While I'll admit the pups were very cute, there was just something special about that cream girl. I asked the breeder if she was available and I could see she was reluctant to answer.

We sat in her den and talked. The cream girl who weighed about 60 pounds kept nipping at my fingers and trying to get in my lap the whole time. The breeder had an amazed look on her face and said this poodle would never come up to anyone. She said the cream girl was one of her pups she had sold almost a year ago and had been back in her home about 6 weeks. A pet store in Jacksonville called her because the original owners had just dropped her off and said they didn't want her any more, (Lucky thing she was micro chipped!)

What the breeder found, was a filthy, matted, frightened poodle who had scars and fresh wounds everywhere. Her tail was also way off center to her butt and x- rays later revealed she must have been repeatedly jerked around by her tail as the bones had grown crooked! The breeder took her home, thinking she would always keep her as she was very frightened of all humans.

I don't know why to this day but we had a special bond and she became my forever poodle. She had her quirks, but became a wonderful part of our family and my teen age son's special girl. I'll never regret not getting that black puppy!