I am compelled to put in a good word for poodles. They come in all sizes, you know, and the big ones, like many bigger breeds, are nothing like their tiny, yipping cousins. I have a soft spot in my heart for standard poodles, because I was raised by one, from my birth until her death just after my 15th birthday. Coco(I know, but we didn't name her,) was smart, sweet and loyal, following me everywhere, including to school. I never knew if she was there all day, but she was always at the school door, waiting, when it was time to go home.

When I started junior high school, and had to take the bus, she at first tried to run after us. She quickly learned to wait for me at the bus stop, which she did every day. More than once she pulled me out of the creek near our house, when she felt I was in trouble. She was equally good around other kids and other animals (our house seemed to always be full of pets, from rabbits to a green-dyed Easter chick, who lived to become a green-headed hen.) The only person she did not like was the neighborhood bully. If he came into our yard, she would grab his arm (poodles were bred as hunting dogs, and have soft mouths, so she could get a good grip without hurting him,) and pull him off our property. I think she would have died, if necessary, to save a child, and I still, all these many years, and many pets, later, miss her.

Right now we have cats among us (nobody owns cats,) and I love them, too, but I would be delighted if another standard or giant poodle came into my life.

Carly