Hear, hear! As Metch and others have said, the poodle can be one of the smartest dogs around. I had one for almost 14 years that I still miss. My mother, who sidn't care for many dogs and never had an 'indoor' one, loved and admired this dog.

At one point I had a border collie - the easist to train that I ever had - who herded horses and cattle. My poodle watched then went to work. The two of them made a fine working pair.

The only serious disagreement we had was one night when I booted her out in the rain. She was old by then and could no longer go all night without having to be let out. So I always made sure that she relieved herself before I went to bed.

This night the weather was miserable- the ground was muddy and laced with coursing water and torrents more were coming down from the sky.

She resisted. I insisted. I caught her up and put her out. She disappeared.

A few minutes later my sister in law called from over the hill a good third of a mile away. Hey, she said, just now your dog scratched at the door and asked if she could come in. I told her, No! Go on home! Is she OK?

A few minutes after that my dog showed up at our door, penitent and peaceful. I had to wash the mud off her at the tub and dry her off before we could go to bed.