Introducing Blake!

Hi All,
We did it!!!  We adopted a baby brother for Baron.  Blake (as in William Blake, the poet) is a small red standard poodle.  Due to the circumstances of his adoption, we are not certain of his age.  We think he is 4-6 months old.  He will not be large, which is fine with Baron, who wants to remain "top dog".  He is absolutely lovely, with a sweet, calm (hooray) disposition.  He had wonderful foster parents, Laura and Frank, who had him for 2 months, and also fell in love with him.  Lucky for us, they already have 4 standard poodles - 2 red and 2 black.  You should see them!  In fact they just bred their red male for the 2nd time, so if anyone out there wants a red poodle puppy, Baron can you give you a character reference.
Blake has adjusted fairly easily, due to the excellent care he received from Laura and Frank.  It has been hardest on Baron, who always wanted a sibling until he had one (sound like any children we know?).
I have to close, but was too excited to wait until I had more time to write.  As of now, Blake and Baron are resting comfortably.

 

Regards to all,
Botswain

A baby brother for Baron?

Hi All,
Baron and I were at Poodle Park today. We were thrilled to learn that Whiskey, an absolutely adorable red poodle puppy, has not been rescued yet.  Whiskey is about 5 months old, sweet and very mellow.  His foster mother considers him to be one of the loveliest poodles she has fostered (she fostered about 20).  In fact, she would adopt him except for the small detail that she already has FOUR standard poodles.  Her youngest, 13 weeks old, was a birthday present. Did I mention that we poodle people are exuberant about our poodles?  Some are more exuberant than others.  Master, for example, was NOT exuberant to learn of Baron's interest in a baby brother, and even less exuberant to learn of my interest.  Dear readers, let us know what you think.  Baron is not meant to be an only child.

 

Botswain
PS
Whiskey's name can easily be changed - Champagne, perhaps?

In Canine Memoriam

Hi All,
The last 6 weeks have been sad here at Poodle Place.  Baron lost his cousin, Oliver, and his good friend, Madison.  Both dogs lived much longer than expected due to the love and care provided by their families (remember, one does not really own a dog, one lives with them as family members).
Oliver was a rambunctious lakeland terrier who lived life in his feisty way until the very end.  His cute square face held a spark of liveliness and mischief. Madison was a smart, loving standard poodle (not unlike you-know-who). She enjoyed playing with her sibling, Mighty, along with her human family, until her last day.  Both dogs were humanely "put down" when their quality of life was threatened.  As painful as this decision was, both families knew they were lucky to have these wonderful canine family members in their lives and were particularly fortunate to insure that their dogs did not suffer.  Their actions were both courageous and humane.Unfortunately, Madison never sent Baron her picture (perhaps she didn't want him to "get ideas"), but he does have a picture of his cousin Oliver.
With sadness,
Botswain

In Memoriam

Hi All,
Poodle Place is a microcosm of life and sometimes humor has to take a brief holiday.  Baron's beloved human Grandmother died in October.  It has taken us awhile to recover enough to write about this loss.  Grandmother was a lover of ALL animals (boa constrictors included), dogs in particular.  Most recently she had German Shepherds, but always enjoyed a visit from her canine grandson, none other than Baron.  Grandmother had Alzheimer's disease and was fortunate enough to live in her own home, which Baron loved visiting.  He would run up the stairs, go straight to Grandmother's bed and lick her face until she said "YUCK". There it was - another fan of Baron's expressing herself.

In future blog entries, I will share her sense of humor as it pertains to animals, but for now, "Grandmother, we miss you"!
Sadly,
Botswain

Shopping with Baron

Hi All,
Baron was very busy today.  He accompanied me to a department store (or should I say "I accompanied him?").  I had observed small dogs happily shopping with their owners and wondered if this could be a case of large dog discrimination. Admittedly these small (as in tiny) dogs appeared to be well-behaved.  Some were in cute little baskets.  Baron loves accompanying me on errands, but I can't imagine what basket could ever hold 71 pounds of poodle. He especially enjoys it when people make a fuss over him. In fact, I am frequently stopped by admirers of Baron. They comment on how handsome he is; this is true, but it goes to his head. On occasion he actually receives a few compliments on his behavior; obviously these individuals do not really know Baron.  Soooo, Baron and I bravely (I was the brave one) shopped at a department store today.  He was received warmly by the 4 people who saw him before we were quickly ushered into a dressing room.
All for now,
Botswain
PS
The department store is still intact.

More fun at Poodle Park

Hi All,
I know you are sitting at the edge of your chairs waiting to hear more about Baron's 2 HOURS at Poodle Park with yours truly at his side.  Baron decided his new BFF is Ringo, a party poodle.  Ringo is a  party poodle, not because he likes to party, but because of his coloring.  For the unindoctrinated, a party poodle is a pedigree poodle with a "coat of many colors" - at least more than one.  You may be wondering why this gentleman is holding Ringo, who is not exactly petite.

  As you recall, Baron has a nonverbal learning disability and does not read social cues. It doesn't dampen his enthusiasm for playing with his friends, however.   Ringo is demonstrating that he is not a party animal - at least not where Baron is concerned.  Not to worry - Baron doesn't hold it against him.

All for now,  Botswain

Poodle Park

Hi All,
I have very exciting news!  Baron was invited to a forest preserve dog park, where standard poodles convene on weekends! As you may recall, Baron receives very few social invitations so this was a VERY big deal!  Unfortunately, the 2 lovely dogs (and their owner) who invited Baron have not appeared at Poodle Park; perhaps they are too busy, or embarrassed.

 

Baron spent time playing with his new friends, who come in all sizes and colors.  He had a blast.  Unfortunately, his nonverbal learning disability remains a challenge for him (and everyone else). After playing at the park for 2 hours, he was extremely tired; in fact he was too exhausted to come when called. The handsome black dog with his ears straight out is none other than Baron at play!  Isn't he adorable?  Would you like him for a week?  Just kidding...
I will fill you in on his further exploits after my nap.
Botswain