I have lucked out!!!! .... I have been able to locate a puppy for my daughter (at a reasonable price) and she is like an expectant mother....it's nuts! She is very anxious to get the puppy and it's about all she can think about. Last night it was the - "what are we going to name her" game. The puppy is a purebred, snow white Standard Poodle who is really, really pretty. The puppy is coming to my house first so that I can spend a little time with her and see what she knows and what she needs learn. My husband and my daughter are upset because they are afraid I will get too attached to it and want to keep it....

To be fair, I probably will get attached, but this dog is supposed to go to Heather. (Nevermind that I wanted a girl so I could "foo foo" it up. ) I'm a dog groomer with a specialty in Poodles so why wouldn't I want to groom her all in all kinds of styles....that just makes sense! But I will never trade my Rocky for this little one.... on the other hand I always wanted one of each .. a black poodle and white poodle, with the female being white.... ok ok enough!!

My daughter has never had a dog before in her life. She is in for a big surprise. Dogs are great, but they need a lot of attention, exercise, training and affection. I'm not concerned with the attention and affection aspect of it. I'm not even concerned with the exercise part of it. What I am concerned about is the training part. I don't want Rocky's little sister to be an obnoxious poodle. Honestly, does the world need another? I, for one don't think so...

The grooming part is something she is going to have to learn how to do. It's a lot of work, but she's got time to learn. Until then, she is either going to have to bring her up here to get groomed or to my old employers. Heather's boyfriend wants the dog to have a beard. Come on, wake up. This is a conformation SHOW BITCH. How can you take a well-bred, petite white poodle and mess her up with a beard? When I told the breeder, she almost fainted.

But I digress. Ok, so the training. That is the primary reason for her coming up here first. So that I can assess this puppy and help Heather to train her properly. She is a little timid and needs to gain some confidence. With a dog like this one, she needs training and she needs to be praised and rewarded for the smallest little achievement. I think I will tell Heather to make a list of things she wants her puppy to learn and a list of things that she doesn't want her dog to do, so that we can put together a training plan designed for her lifestyle. Versatility, is probably a good thing to strive for.... meaning, she can be in any situation without having a problem. Anyway, that is my plan. I've attached a photo.... any names come to mind?

My daughter has always had cats. Independent, mind of their own, cats. Run of the house cats, if you get my drift. Every place she lived in has had conveniences specifically for her cats. Wait till she gets this dog and the cats freak. Actually, I hope for her sake they don't. One or both of them have been known to "mark" their territory.

Lets face it folks. Dogs are needy and clingy and are always under foot unless they are up to no good (or as in the case of the missing Rocky.......... me forgetting to let him back in after having let him out to "get busy" or dog gets sick of waiting for me to go to bed and puts himself to bed..) They don't typically do their own thing, they wait for you and want to do what you are doing. Basically, they are like little kids but they sleep more.

I really want this puppy thing to be a positive experience for all of the parties involved - especially the dog, since she has nothing to say about her circumstances.