Friday, January 24, 2025

Mavroudis Poodle Rescue in Georgia

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                 Introducing Mavroudis Poodle Rescue of Georgia

Our sweet boy Tate is now under the umbrella of Mavroudis Poodle Rescue, as they help us network for his forever home. At the moment, he is being fostered with us in North Carolina, as we implement some suggestions by an excellent trainer--Julie Atchison of Best Friends Bed & Biscuit and Country Kennel here in Greensboro. She was kind enough to do a phone consult with me, to go over management concerns. Yesterday I was blessed to talk with a trainer friend from long ago, who, like Julie, has far outpassed me since I have been out of the loop for over a decade. Thanks to Mark Connelly of K-9 Command in Vale, NC as he also had some great insight!  



Isn't he a pretty boy? Tate is a purebred Standard Poodle, black and white, parti-colored, with ticking (that is what his leg freckles are called!) Neutered and up to date on all vaccines, available through Mavroudis Poodle Rescue of Georgia.
 
When he has his alone time with us, Tate is a wonderful boy, so loving--a very biddable, highly bonded young Standard Poodle. After pulling all the toys out of the toy box, playing ball for a bit or tempting Dad with his birdie toy, Tate simply settles down on a comforter while Dad does paperwork in the evening. A very content happy boy when out of the crate after Pop gets home, but then, aren't we all happy when we get to do whatever we want to do and we don't have to share our favorite person with anyone else?  I know for myself, it is more when things do NOT go my way, that I might misbehave! Dogs, like human children, need to know the rules and have boundaries and consistent routines in order to feel truly safe and secure. It is difficult, if not impossible, for this to happen in a multiple-dog home where "Mom" has physical disabilities and is often the one in charge of the pack. I have no difficulty with Tate when it is just home, but it is the combination of the two boys that is difficult for me, and Brodie was here first, while Tate was a semi-rescue from day one.  We have are very attached to him but at this point, we just want him to be in an only dog home where he can be happy, and not have to worry about sharing with other dogs. I have spoken with other experienced trainer and even a veterinarian who does behavioral work, and they all agree that rehoming is the best option for Tate. As you can see in the photo, Tate likes to play with other dogs, and is not ugly about sharing toys, but he HATES to share his people or anything edible!  


Bobo Bean (Brodie, see photo above for attention, Bobo is white, Tate is freckled!)  doesn't understand why his playful buddy doesn't want him bee-bopping into the room when Tate is being petted by us. Brodie is almost 4 now, and he and little Jay Jay (age 14) don't think too highly of this behavior, since they love Mom & Dad too!

What would be the perfect home for Tate? This youngster needs someone without my physical disabilities, so he can learn about the enjoyment of long walks on leash, or even playing on Aglity equipment or learning something like Rally which he could do at outdoors with his new owner.  He turns two later this month (February) so even though he is not a hyper dog, Tate he could benefit from more exercise. 

The game plan for now is I am working with him on basic obedience each day in the open family room here at the house, and putting into practice the tips given to me by the experienced trainers who gave me their thoughts. He enjoys sitting and playing the "touch" game for treats, and he understands the "down" command but stay is still a work in progress!  Here is a bit more info about him, in case you did not see the earlier post:

Tate is an AKC/UKC registered black and white parti-colored poodle, neutered male, DNA tested clear of genetic issues (that can be detected via DNA). He will be 2 in late February and never has any potty accidents in the house. Tate was never bred so zero marking behaviors. Tate is crate-trained but will talk about it if he feels he is being ignored, so an ideal home would have someone home most of the time so that he doesn't have to be crated excessively. He is very quiet at night in the crate--like most adult dogs, much easier than a young pup because he is fine going to bed at 9:30 pm and easily sleeps until we get up at 7, so unlike a young pup, Tate should be able to adapt quickly to the routine of a new home.  But during the day, this boy can be quite vocal. If the doorbell rings, the person on the other side of the door will not believe that they are just hearing a poodle! Because of this, he makes a great sound alert dog but he would not do well in an apartment because he alerts and barks at the sounds of people coming and going.

If you have serious interest in Tate, please submit an application at https://www.mavroudispoodles.org/ or contact Rachael, their director, if you have questions about their adoption process. His adoption fee is $500, and this group definitely checks references and makes sure to match the applicant with a dog that will do well in their environment. Don't apply if you are not okay with a home visit and giving references.

If Tate is not the one for you, it is quite possible that they have another special dog in their program who would be a match. Currently, Tate is with us (near Greensboro, NC) so we would be the ones to arrange a meet and greet if you are approved to adopt at this time. Other dogs in the program are being fostered in the Greater Atlanta area.

Other news? Mavroudis Poodle Rescue has two puppies in their program who are being treated for parvo, which is a very time-consuming, expensive process. Could you possibly spare a few dollars to help them? You can click this link to quickly send a donation via Paypal: Donate to Mavroudis Poodle Rescue or go to their Mission/Donate/Fundraiser page to find out about their Chewy and Amazon Wish lists, for items that go to help all of their foster dogs!

Mavroudis Poodle Rescue is located in the Greater Atlanta area of Georgia, so if you happen to be close to them, and you have time and energy to devote to fostering, please be sure to get in touch, as there is always a demand for good foster homes! 

Tate says tuned for updated photos after next week's groom and meanwhile, take a look at his photo and all the special Poodles and Poodle mixes available for adoption through this amazing group by clicking here for more information: Poodles and Poodles Mixes For Adoption.

Tate, Bobo and all of the Schlaginhaufen crew say thanks in advance!

                                                                                     Melanie Schlaginhaufen

Wednesday, August 21, 2024

Please help Tate find his perfect home! Updated photos coming soon!

Note: Please forgive our "Under Construction look" as we work on changing our header, and graphics at the top of this page. Hope to have a "computer expert" help out soon--the older header disappeared when I was trying to preview the new logo!  Even the followers are no longer showing up on the left hand side of the page, but hopefully they are still following! Please be patient with me while I figure out how to fix these glitches! Thanks,  Melanie

Meet “Tate”, aka Paint Me Tic Tac Toes, an AKC registered Standard Poodle, searching for his perfect home!

Sometimes my heart kicks in before my brain. This is what happened when we brought Tate home only a few months after Hudson died in 2023. I firmly believe in purchasing pups from ethical show/performance breeders, or adopting from reputable rescues. But I saw this little fellow online who looked so much like Huddy, the heart dog I had lost, then found out he was not in a good situation and within a week, he was with us.  My husband named him Tate. Tate did not have the benefit of the many wonderful things that great breeders do, things such as Puppy Culture programs.  I have worked with many such dogs, who didn't have the greatest beginning,  with good success when I was actively involved in rescue work during my dog training years, but now, with my health issues, I am not the best home for a dog who needs extra work. And no matter how much love you give a dog, if a pup did not have what he needed in his first few months of life, he is going to need much more than love to make him a confident, well-adjusted pet. From the first month of taking him, we talked of rehoming Tate because we felt he needed more than we could give him. We put out a few feelers, but never had an inquiry that was suitable, because my motto has always been that no dog leaves unless he can go to a better home than I can provide him. 

Tate is very bright, so house-training him was zero problem. Tate LOVES people (adults, he thas not been exposed to little people) and he loves playing with our big, playful, champion boy Brodie--as long as Brodie doesn’t get near things the things Tate dearly values, which are food, TREATS, his crate, and his Daddy! Brodie is ok staying away from things like the treat jar, but not from Mom and Dad. After all, Brodie was here first and he loves attention just as much as Tate does. Tate being overprotective of anything edible is almost normal, because he did not have enough food as a puppy before we took him in,  but acting the same way about protecting the space around us from our other dogs, is problematic.

When allowed to play with no food around, Brodie and Tate are best buddies. But Tate is, at heart, a resource guarder, because sadly he was a semi-rescue, as in one of those dogs that when you make the call, you know that these are leftover puppies who need to get to their new homes quickly. This breeder was an older couple who raised farm animals, who wanted to get out of dogs due to their health issues.  By the time I found out about him, Tate was being kept in an outdoor "dog lot" with several other "leftover puppies" who were not sold. Tate happened to be the smallest, even though he was the only boy. When asked about how they were fed, he stated that some kibble was simply tossed into the pen each morning, and they were not fed at any other time other than in the morning when other farm animals were fed. Thankfully a friend of mine, long-time poodle fancier Georgi Shearin, after seeing photos of Tate after we got him, moved quickly to get the last remaining female pup out of the situation.

Being only 12 weeks old when we got him, of course this little Tater Tot was getting very hungry having to wait until the eacy morning for the only kibble that was tossed into his pen each day! We feed uupi The same was happening when my Gerogi ot his female littermate out at 14 weeks. Tate was thin when we got him, but passed his vet check-up with flying colors. And since he LOVES to eat, it was no trouble putting weight on him. 

Tate is close to two years old now, very bright, very loving and although he dislikes having his feet shaved, he has never shown any aggression towards people. He passed all the DNA testing, ruling out health issues that Standard Poodles are prone to, at least all the things we can test for on DNA, and that is quite a few! Neutered, up to date on vaccines, so far he is a very healthy boy.

Tate is very bright, loves petting and bonds quickly. He adores retrieving balls and enjoys toys but is not a pest about retrieving like some poodles can be. He is submissive to Brodie, the 3 1/2 high energy Standard Poodle who was here before him, and they play well outside where there are no treats to guard! But the bottom line is, Tate is a people-dog and he needs to be an only child, without the competition of other dogs or even children (just to be safe) because he acts up over what he considers valuable resources--which in his mind, are his crate, anything edible, and his people. Not possessive of toys for some reason, probably because he didn't have them as a young pup before we got him. I have searched for the perfect match as far as a home like this for him, without any success.

However, the GREAT news is that Tate is now under the umbrella of Mavroudis Poodle Rescue in Georgia, although for now, he is still being fostered with us in North Carolina!

They are a hard-working, ethical group and have him listed on their website, and hopefully his updates will also be on their social media sites as well. I plan to groom him this weekend and work on getting some updated photos and a trainer friend has helped me with a plan for putting a bit more obedience training on him while he awaits his forever home. Since this rescue group is in the Greater Atlanta area, we will be glad to help transport him when that the right home comes along, passes all the reference checks and is approved to adopt this special boy.

When no other dogs are around, Tate is incredibly calm, just preferring to hang out with his people, playing with toys from the toy box. Athough his favorite thing (next to treats!) is retrieving balls, he is not demanding like many retrievers. So Tate would be great for someone who works from home, since he is very content just being in the same room with you. After some initial attention, he tends to just nap on a comforter or dog bed near his person.

Tate is house-trained, no potty accidents, however he still has lots of puppy in him, so has to be watched carefully so he doesn't chew anything that he shouldn't. He sleeps quietly through the night, so like most adults, should be much easier in that department! But because he is still young (23 months at the time of this update) he would greatly benefit from daily walks or an owner who will go out in a fenced yard and play ball with him, or even teach him some Rally or Agility work. Right now he knows "Sit", "Down" "Kennel up" and is very reliable Coming when called inside the house. Because I have a physical disability he has not had a lot of work on leash, he doesn't mind the leash and understand the left side, but needs more training to understand that pulling on leash is not acceptable. 

After chatting with two very experienced trainer-friends of mine, we started more daily training sessions just this week. Because Tate loves treats, praise and attention, he is super smart and fun to train. He has been a homebody though, so is not overly confident in novel situations, sometimes a tad fearful at the vet's office.

Tate needs to feel secure, so a home where someone is home most of the time would be ideal. He has never been around cats or children, and since he doesn't like to share with other dogs, the goal is to find Tate a home as an only child. 

If you have serious interest in Tate, you can fill out an adoption application at Mavroudis Poodle Rescue, and even take a look at all of the very worthy pups and adults that they currently have for adoption on their For Adoption Page. which also explains their adoption policies.

Our goal is a perfect match--so Tate can blossom into the extra special, loved family member he was created to be! We are now his foster home, so Mavroudis Poodle Rescue will be the one to check references and have final approval, but if you have a simple question about Tate that we can answer,  feel free to email me personally at knowingdogs@gmail.com. 

Also, please follow this blog, as we hope to continue to feature Poodles who are looking for their forever homes, or rescues that need donations to save special needs ones! Poodles are such amazing dogs, please join me in helping make sure each one finds the perfect match for their forever homes!

 

Sunday, October 15, 2023

NEW Things to Share, but an OLD Blogger!

Well, here is my confession of the day! I finally have found time to get back to blogging, but I have not done so in such a long time that I am having trouble doing things like changing the layout to add new "gadgets" for ads and such. If you have good computer skills, love doing all things Poodle-related and might enjoy co-owning a blog, or just working on one as a hobby-- please get in touch! I have plenty of article content, product reviews and even some very nice new artwork coming soon for the banner, but I am having difficulty putting it all together. The older I get, the less computer skills I seem to have! 

On a more positive note, Brodie and I were thrilled when we had an inquiry recently from a vendor who makes absolutely gorgeous collars, in addition to some other poodle items such as leash holders and more, who is local to us--right around the corner in Greensboro, North Carolina! We went to the home of Patti Jessup, of The Decadent Dog, and were able to see so many lovely products, since she was getting ready for Fall shows. We saw all the beautiful materials for her handmade collars (over 70 different fabric choices!), her sewing room, and her husband's shop where he makes the wooden items.

I brought over some of the collars I had been using, such as a fabric martingale, and I was shocked when Patti pointed out that it had several "break points". With a strong puller like Brodie, our soft cotton martingale could have broken if he had decided to take off after a squirrel when on a walk because it had three break points and it was not double-stitched. 

Patti's collars, however, are specifically designed for large and giant breeds, so they are incredibly safe as well as beautiful. Brodie modeled a few and we finally decided on a 2-inch martingale style in the "Merlin" fabric since I love purple. It was custom-made and arrived quickly, with free shipping! We ordered one for a friend in Virginia and it was also made, shipped and arrived in under a week. 

Patti responds promptly to inquiries through her Etsy store, so she can help you with sizing and styles, even with collar choices if, like me, there are so many you like that you aren't sure what will look the best on your dog! . Soon I will post information that Patti gave me about what makes her collars different from the typical designer collars, neck protectors and other collars we use on our Standard Poodles, that are not as safe as her designs. I was also delighted to see that the prices were more reasonable than many of the collars that I have bought that were not made with quality hardware and material--there are photos of her collars in her store, as well as ordering information: The Decadent Dog Etsy Store

There are so many colors and designs to choose from, that you can even find one that will match your show dog's favorite pair of leg protectors--although in the photo below, Tate and Brodie have played so hard that his leggings were coming off! But he sure did look stylish before his leggings came off, and he has had many compliments since wearing his lovely new martingale collar (we chose this style for him because it does give a bit of training control).
Brodie Schlaginhaufen wearing his  "Merlin" martingale collar at home, and happily modeling another design that is on his wish list!
\Either width looks lovely on a Doberman, this beauty is wearing a "Stitch" colored martingale style
Shelby, a beautiful Dane owned by Teresa Powell, wearing her 2-inch Clementine" martingale

Tate, a parti-colored Standard Poodle puppy wearing his adjustable buckle collar in "Deacon" fabric, with strong black plastic snap buckle.

When you get in touch with Patti on The Decadent Dog Etsy shop  please be sure to tell her that Brodie and Melanie sent you her way! Also be sure to check out her leash holders, and visit her booths at upcoming grooming and craft shows, and hopefully coming soon to a dog show near you!


Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Am. AKC/UKC Champion Crystal Creek's Irish Creme - "Brodie"

What a birthday gift! My friend Veronica Kelso was up visiting this Spring around my birthday. As I gave her some grooming tips on her new Poodle puppy, suddenly she asked me to run Brodie outside so she could take some photos, because the light was "just right". He was not in a show groom, in fact, he wasn't truly even brushed out as we did not think she would have time to photograph him that day. But perhaps that is one reason the photos turned out so special, because they captured the "real Brodie", not the fellow who gets all glammed up for the show ring! Thank you Veronica, for not only this gorgeous image, but for all of my birthday gifts through the years, all of the recent ones of Brodie, the absolutely gorgeous ones taken for my birthday years ago on the weekend that Hudson came to us, and the very special photograph of Khaki, the incredibly sweet mixed breed girl that you and I shared. And as always, thank you to Brodie's breeder, Bonnie Winnings of Crystal Creek Standard Poodles, for sharing Brodie with us.
Brodie is two years old now, and has all of his health clearances, the majority of which are now posted on his OFA page. For a link to his pedigree, and show photos, see the Crystal Creek Standard Poodle's website link entitled 'Our Boys" and scroll down to Brodie's information. You can reach Brodie's breeder, Bonnie Winings, through that page, or contact me via my email. Brodie lives with me in North Carolina, but Bonnie is the person who bred him, and is the most familiar with his pedigree and what he may be likely to produce. Here is a candid of Brodie at a show as an 8 month old pup, with his friend Kelly Knight.
I am happy to discuss with you anything you wish to know about Brodie's temperament, structure, and of course I love to talk about his gorgeous head and coat! But I believe it is important not just to fall in love with photos and videos of a stud dog, but to research health clearances and everything you can find out about what his sire and dam have produced. Of course we are proud that Brodie has his AKC and UKC championships, we love the diversity of a Spanish import behind him, love that his sire is a gorgeous boy with his AKC Grand championship, his dam has her UKC Grand and both his sire and dam have performance titles! We truly love all the health clearances behind him. But we believe that even the grandparents on a pedigree are quite important, as far as determining what a dog will produce. And it is his breeder who knows all about the dogs behind Brodie, so if you have interest in him for one of your girls, click on the link listed above and scroll down to Brodie to see his information, then get in touch with his breeder if you with questions about his background. I would of course be the one to give final approval on any breeding, but I am a retired dog trainer who has been a show fancier of Standard Poodles since 1990, I am not, nor have I ever been, a breeder of poodles. Brodie's breeder does a great deal of research before doing a breeding, and she should be able answer any questions you have about dogs in his pedigree. Happy Summer! Thanks for letting me brag just a bit on Mr. Brodie on this post. Soon I should have a more entertaining, better researched article for the blog. For now, I will end with a candid of Brodie and his little boss, Mr. JJ! JJ may be small in statue, but believe me, he rules the place! I apologize that I cannot remember how to get the formatting correct in Blogger, so we are lacking spacing in this article--hopefully to be corrected soon!

Saturday, March 18, 2023

Loving, and Losing , an All Time Favorite Poodle, to GOLPP

UKC Champion Prodigy's Content of Character, a/k/a Hudson When I saw an adorable photo of Hudson, in the snow, around age four or five months, on his breeder's Facebook page, it was love at first sight.I still remember commenting "if you ever decide to let this one go, please think of me!" Since she didnt know me personally,I never dreamt that a few months later she would actually write to see if I would be interested in co-owning this beautiful boy, with an agreement to show him and give him a forever home. Typically I don't co-own dogs with people I do not know personally, but I was so in love with this gorgeous puppy that I would have probably promised to name my first grandchild after her in exchange for the opportunity to have this dog come and live with me! We have had at least one Standard Poodle in our home since 1990. There was something special about each of them. But this little fellow (he was only 20 inches, 33 pounds, the result of an inter-variety breeding done for diversity reasons) was a big, extremely intelligent dog in a small package. He appointed himself the family watchdog right away. And speaking of watching, Huddy was the only dog I have ever owned who watched television, primarily just things that had horses or dogs in them, but occasionally he watched other things as well. One of his funniest TV habits was trying to help Cesar Millan when dogs were barking or growling on Cesar's programs. Hudson would actually lunge at the TV when dogs were acting out of control! He got in trouble a few times for that! But really one of the most special things about Hudson is that he never wanted to be in trouble. Call his name and he would come on a dime, inside or outside, including off leash in the middle of the eight acres we lived on up at the lake. If Mom or Dad said his name, he was by our sides in a flash. And he loved nothing more than "going on a ride", so much so that we had to spell things when we tried to sneak out of the house without him! Although his markings and thick coat with great texture made him quite flashy, Hudson did not love dog shows, he only tolerated them. We got his UKC championship quickly, only being shown in the United Kennel Club shows of course because although he was AKC registered, the American Kennel Club only allows solid colored poodles in the conformation ring. Actually it is the Poodle Club of America, the parent club of AKC, not AKC, who determines the Breed standard for conformation titles. Thankfully, we also have the United Poodle Association, the parent club for UKC, and UPA appreciates all colors of purebred poodles. Can a Poodle of any color be shown in the Multi-Colored classes at UKC events? Yes, with one exception. The merle gene does not occur naturally in poodles, so when it started popping up in advertisements on the internet, breeders trying to sell "purebred merle Stnadard Poodles", ethical UPA members quickly got a peitition together, petitioning UKC to disqualify poodles with this coloring from being shown. DNA testing has not been able to prove or disprove that merle poodles are not purebred but since the "originals" were bred by breeders who bred Aussiedoodles (Australian Shepherd/Standard Poodle crosses) it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see how the merle gene crept into the gene pool. Sadly, merle coloring is connected with some serious health issues. As someone who used to show Australian Shepherds and was involved with Aussie rescue, I have seen puppies that were blind, deaf, and even one born without eyes. This is why it is a serious matter to ethical poodle fanciers--we do not wish to see any merle poodle or poodle mixes to be bred, ever. In fact, the way to find a healthy, non-shedding Poodle is to work with a Poodle breeder who doesn't breed Poodle mixes, but who breeds only AKC registered Poodles. There are many health clearances that we do on our breeding stock, and waiting until after a Poodle is two or three years old and has completed all of this health testing before breeding it, is one way to help insure, to help up your chances, of getting a dog that stands a good chance of living a healthy long life.
Sadly, the disease which took Hudson is not one that has a genetic test to rule out parents who are carriers--in fact, so far there is no proof that GOLPP is even genetic. Veterinarians and research articles typically state that the conditon affects elderly dogs, but Hudson was middle-aged when he first started showing symptoms of food getting stuck in his throat, gagging and other issues. GOLPP causes laryngeal paralysis, affecting the nerves that control the muscles in the throat. He was ten by the time that polyneuropathy kicked in, which includes vagus nerve involvement. He eventually had difficiulty swallowing as well as loss of muscle mass and rear-end weakness, causing some collapsing episodes. Unlike the rear weakness we see in elderly dogs who have arthritis in their spine or rear, GOLPP does not cause pain in those areas, the collapsing is due to weakness, sometimes combined as well with difficulty breathing. Dogs with GOLPP can be helped if diagnosed early on, with a procedure called Arytenoid laryngoplasty surgery (“tie-back” surgery, where a procedure is done on one of the laryngeal cartilages which keeps the throat from closing up, thereby decreasing airway resisteance and giving the dog a better ability to swallow normally). Unfortunately, Hudson was midsiagnosed at the beginning of his symptoms as having IBD, because of vomiting episodes, and by the time we changed veterinarians and got the correct diagnosis he was in the later stages of the disease, so he was not a candidate for this procedure. The disease is usually slow progressing, and the fact that Hudson was put on an anti-inflammatory med for IBD, did help keep many of the symptoms of GOLPP under control for almost four years, before we had to make the tough decision to let him go because he simply couldn't swallow and he was in distress.
I am not usually one to share the "gory details" but since so many people have never even heard of GOLPP, I wanted to make Poodle owners aware that it DOES occur in our breed, as I have since heard from others who lost a dog to it. Since it happens later in life, it is impossible to know if there is a genetic component, and so far, it is thought not, although the fact that it appears more often in some breeds (Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, Newfoundlands, Borzois, Greyhounds, German Shepherd Dogs and Brittany Spaniels) this "may" end up proving that certain bloodlines are genetically predeposed. When my veterinarian diagnosed Hudson he said that the good news was that no pain was involved (at that time he was occasionally collapsing in the rear) but the bad news was, the disease is always terminal. Many articles on the internet also mention that no pain is involved, however I can attest that a dog who is having difficulty breathing and swallowing, definitely becomes distressed, even panicked. It does seem to be true that pain is not involved with the rear weakness, dogs definitely are in distress when they cannot swallow---when food is getting stuck in their throat, or when they epxerpeince things like aspiration pneumonia which make them miserable, and can cause an extremely high fever which doesn't always respond to medication, especially if they are already at the point where they cannot even swallow medication. So please, if you see a study in Standard Poodles trying to find a genetic marker which will help us eliminate this disease, donate! I would love to see this eradicated from our beloved breed, because I don't want to think of another dog going through what Hudson did in his last years. Hudson, I will miss you forever, and believe that God will give me the privilege of seeing you again in heaven. You gave so much love, what a precious gift you were to us.

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Back to Blogging, with Brodie

Hi, it's Brodie, also affectionally known at times as Bobo, or just Bo. My Mom has been slack on blogging now for some time, so I thought I would step in and give her a hand. First order of business, we need to find some vendors for the blog, because Poodleit, and others that are just filling up space, no longer seem to be active. If you have a favorite vendor of Poodle products, let us know so we can reach out to them! At this time, we don't require any fee or affiliate percentage, since we are starting from scratch to once again build up the Poodle Blog readership. We are glad to review any product that a vendor may wish to send, and if we think other Poodle owners need to know about the product (from grooming products, toys to snoods, leggings and raincoats, you name it) we will be glad to share.
By early Spring 2023, our best picks will have a link on the right hand column or on the bottom of all of our posts. For more information on sending a product for review, or if you are a reader just wishing to share about your favorite products, email us at knowingdogs@gmail.com. Secondly, an update on my favorite Poodle...guess who! Yep, I know, everyone tells me I am a pretty special fellow. In fact, Mom has taken so many photos and videos of my antics,that she is out of storage on her Iphone! Dad takes me on rides in his big truck quite often and I am a favorite at places that sell biscuits in the morning, even though Mom won't let me eat any of them. Of course I much prefer a piece of dried chicken or beef lung when I get home, but the ladies at Biscuitville act so disappointed when Dad says I can't have one of their homemade doggy biscuits. No white flour says Mom! This photo of me with the Winter Wonderland background was my first major when my friend Kelly Knight offered to take me to shows in Perry, Georgia.
Here are a couple more of my AKC show photos, of course these were almost a year ago now, but I'm just as handsome as ever. Soon I will see if I can find some photos of me in my Sporting trim. Here are some of my win photos with my handler Ann Rairigh of Litilann Poodles, she did a good job of making me behave! Well, at least we tried hard!
I didn't have many show photos, because only one circuit with my friend Kelly Knight, and a few Florida shows with Ann, and I was all done! Boy was Mommy happy, and Daddy was thrilled that I got back home so soon.Don't tell the other Schlaginhaufen dogs, but I think I just might be his favorite!
If I don't see you before the holidays, have a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year! Hopefully by January, Mom will remember how to get her spacing right when she is typing on Blogger. Best wishes, Brodie, also known as AKC/UKC Champion Crystal Creek's Irish Creme

Monday, February 7, 2022

Introducing "Brodie" - AKC/UKC Ch. Crystal Creek's Irish Creme

Never say never... Just when you think you have cleared the dog show bug out of your system (after all, it started over forty years ago, I ought to be over it by now, right?) along comes a gorgeous puppy. Brodie is now 11 months old, and has brought so much happiness and laughter into the Schlaginhaufen home! Thank you to his breeder and co-owner, Bonnie Winings of Crystal Creek, for sharing him with us and encouraging us to go ahead and show him as a puppy; thank you to Jennifer Anders, Kelly Knight, Amy Corbitt and Payton Burns who helped us in UKC (he finished his UKC championship the first weekend out, and went on to take 3 legs towards his grand championship before we pulled him to show him AKC); and thank you to Kelly Knight and Ann Rairigh, who finished his AKC championship for us in just a handful of shows. He is now busy learning basic obedience, in hopes of doing some performance events down the road. More photos coming soon.