The much-celebrated
poodle is the beloved national dog of France, but that’s not where the breed
originated. It all began in Germany, the name derived from the German word
Pudel or Pudlen. Duck dog, or Caniche, is what the breed is called in France.
That’s right,
despite their pampered, diva-like appearance, poodles were actually bred to be working
dogs. They’re superbly suited for their job as waterfowl retrievers, and their famous
puffball haircuts in fact serve a very important purpose for that type of work.
Their tight curly hair is meant to insulate them in cold water, but to promote
freedom of movement, the neck, legs and tail were shaved. Carefully crafted
pompoms remained, designed to protect their joints and torso (vital organs) in often
frigid water.
Nevertheless their
iconic cutaway hairdos are perfect catwalk coiffures and have become synonymous
with this handsome breed. There are three acceptable styles when appearing
before discerning dog show judges: continental clip, modified continental clip
and English saddle. There’s also the puppy clip for baby poodles debuting on
the show circuit.
Snowflakes, the
tiny star of the romantic suspense, Looking for Snowflakes, is a toy poodle who
has a thing or two to say about the sturdy stuff that poodles are made of. She
is a force to be reckoned with and her typically sweet personality not only
touches lives, but makes the most of whatever situation she happens to find
herself in:
“Just then the
back door opened and Luke Barker snuck in. He slipped a small package onto the
top shelf of the closet before announcing he was home early because the office
had closed.
Snowflakes was the
first one to the back door to greet him, her tiny pink tongue lolling in a
dazzling smile. And since there was no food in the kitchen, maybe this
good-looking young gentleman might have a treat or two up his sleeve. So she
sat back on her paws and giving it everything she had, pranced with her front
feet. To her bewilderment her performance didn’t seem to impress him, the man
just stared at her as though he couldn’t believe his eyes.
Next to arrive was
Sarah. ‘Daddy!’ she yelled as he picked her up and swung her around before
setting her back on the floor. ‘Look at my new baby dog! Her name is
Snowflakes.’
Danielle Barker
had now come to the back door as well, walking into the unblinking stare of her
husband, the look that said why is there
a dog here? We didn’t discuss this!
He first stared at
the dog and then at his daughter, before his gaze swung back to his wife. ‘Danielle,
have you got a minute?’”
Soft, white and
curly, Snowflakes is the star of the show although poodle lovers, unlike fanciers
of most breeds, have four sizes to choose from: standard, miniature, toy and
teacup, as well as a myriad of hypoallergenic coat colours.
Playful but
dignified, these dogs are friendly, devoted and keenly protective of their
people friends. Poodles of every size and colour have been the favourites of
some very well known pet owners: Elvis Presley, Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie
Kennedy, Lucille Ball, Marilyn Monroe, Katharine Hepburn, Walt Disney, Winston
Churchill and more, and all knew the joys of friendship with these versatile animals.
Poodles are recognized
as one of the most intelligent breeds in the world, and highly trainable. Just
a few of their outstanding abilities include excelling at performance sports, working
as guide and therapy dogs, and being natural entertainers are outstanding
circus performers. Also adept at truffle foraging, they were often used
together with Dachshunds who are low enough to the ground to easily dig out this
prized edible fungus.
And they have proven
themselves to have plenty of try too, a hallmark of their impressive ancestry over
the roughly 400 years since the breed first appeared. Remarkably, a team that
included standard poodles once competed in the grueling Iditarod Trail Sled Dog
Race, an Alaskan event covering roughly 1,000 miles from Anchorage to Nome. The
results were less than stellar for the poodles, but it was not the fault of
those valiant animals. That annual competition now permits “only dogs suitable
for arctic travel” (Alaskan Malamute, Siberian husky or a mixed breed like the
Alaskan husky) to compete, because the icy climate can eventually overwhelm
single-coated breeds like poodles who are not at all suited to such harsh
northern conditions.
Poodles have distinguished
themselves in other ways too, such as Montee from Idaho, the standard poodle
who tipped the scales at an amazing one hundred pounds, and novelist John
Steinbeck’s pal, Charles le Chien, was also a standard. Steinbeck and
Charley were inseparable companions as they toured thirty-four states together
in a pick-up truck on a 10,000 mile journey of discovery in 1960.
History also
remembers outstanding poodles such as Sancho. Found on his master’s grave
following the 1812 Battle of Salamanca in Spain (Peninsular war), he was
adopted by Lord Worcester and taken to live in London. And Boye, also a
standard poodle, was believed to belong to Prince Rupert of Rhine. During his Royalist
master’s incarceration and later on the field of battle, Boye remained
steadfast at Rupert’s side; a Royal mascot who held the honourary title of
“Sergent-Major-General.”
There have also
been famous miniature poodles: Aero, owned by Japanese figure skating star Mao
Asada appeared in commercials with the popular Olympian, and Edward, a TV
commercial celebrity and much-welcome fixture at A-list fashion shoots. Jinkee
a toy poodle and red like Aero and Edward, is a social media magnet with more
Instagram followers than her owner, food and travel journalist, Sofia Levin,
according to knowyourdoodles.com.
Poodles have been featured
on both the small and big screen; immortalized on canvas, and made their mark
in cartoons, including Cleo Diller, Penelope Poodle and did you know the
immortal Betty Boop was originally depicted as an anthropomorphic poodle?
And then of course
little Snowflakes from Stoney Creek has also been blessed with a generous
dusting of poodle magic in Looking for Snowflakes:
“It had been a
long day for Bob and as he neared the end of his deliveries he was looking
forward to his easy chair in the living room of the modest home he shared with
Sue. A quiet Christmas Eve in front of their lovely decorated tree. However
when he climbed in and pulled the last Christmas box toward him, he was
dismayed to see that its corner was torn. The foil was partially ripped away,
and some of the meal missing. He was perplexed. How on earth could such a thing
have happened? He certainly couldn’t deliver it in its present condition. Had
Sue dropped it by any chance when she was helping him carry their precious
cargo out to the van this morning? No, she’d never allow it to be loaded in
that condition.
He could see his
easy chair getting a little further away because this meal would have to be
replaced. He couldn’t disappoint the last senior on his list who was eagerly
awaiting his arrival. Sue would have to make up a new plate, but she could
easily do so because she’d simply take from their own Christmas dinner to
replenish the one that had been damaged. Vandalized? Good lord, were their rats
in here or something? And then he spied a little white curly leg protruding from
the back of the passenger seat. A dog had to be stretched out in back of the
seat, sleeping!
Climbing all the way inside was no
easy feat considering his painful arthritic hip. He pushed the curtain that
separated the cab from the cargo area, all the way to the side. Snowflakes
raised her head lazily, her eyes winking as she tried to come awake from a most
wonderful nap.
‘Well what do we
have here?’ he asked kindly. ‘I do believe I’ve picked up a passenger somewhere
along the line. Hungry were you girl?’
Snowflakes was
fully awake now and she cocked her head sideways and smiled her adorable little
smile. Her tiny pink tongue lolled as if to say I’m sorry I stole some of that
meal, but I just couldn’t resist. It was really good too by the way, my
compliments to the chef. You wouldn’t happen to have an extra sugar cookie
would you?”
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