Ever Heard Of An Airedoodle? Looks Like We Got One...

When we found the puppy online, they said it was a Standard Poodle. We have friends who own Poodles. We've seen pictures of Poodles. When we saw the little fella he was covered in black curly hair.

He looked like a Standard Poodle to us.

But then, he didn't. People who know a lot more about Poodles told us he looked like he had some Labrador in him. We have friends who had Labradoodles. We've seen pictures of Labradoodles.

We thought he looked like he might be a Labradoodle.

But then, he didn't. Since he was a rescue and we weren't going to breed him, it really didn't matter to us, but that nagging question remained. Just what kind of dog did we get?

A few weeks ago we took the puppy out for a walk. A passerby said he thought our dog has some Airedale Terrier in him. Then yesterday another passerby said the same thing. We did a little google search on Airedoodles (I didn't know there was such a thing...) and we think we have our answer. From all indications, it looks like we adopted an Airedoodle.

My friend's Standard Poodle has a longer, thinner nose, bigger eyes, and a distinct break between where the nose ends and the forehead begins. Our dog has a stubbier nose, smaller eyes, and almost no break between nose and forehead. Also, the end of our dog's nose is more brown than the rest of his body and he has whiskers on his chin. Plus, he's got long legs, and a narrow frame. Labradoodles have thicker shoulders. I just don't see how he can have any Labrador in him.

Of course, we could get a DNA test to prove once and for all what type of dog we have. But, since we're not going to breed him, I don't think we'll spring for the expensive test. Still, it's cool to have the first Airedoodle I've ever seen.

When You Dog Likes To Fetch...Unripened Fruit

Years ago our next-door-neighbor got a poodle, not a teacup, or mini, or toy. The poodle was a standard and he was a great dog. I remember standing on the hill by our homes and throwing a tennis ball to him over and over again. The dog loved it. One of the first things we did when we got a poodle puppy was to find a tennis ball and play fetch.

He loved it, too.

We have a south lawn (not one found on an estate or anything like that...) that works well for the game of fetch. We have two fruit trees on the edge of the lawn, a green apple and a peach. The apple tree is doing well. It's health and sturdy. 

The peach tree...

is not.

My oldest son's first job was working at a nursery. One day he came home with the saddest little tree. I think they were going to throw it away at the nursery. We decided to plant it and see what would happen. I'll give the tree credit--each year it's produced fruit, but it's so frail that even a couple of peaches causes it to bend to the point where I think it's going to break.

It never has, though. 

The tree this year may have been saved thanks to our dog. I can't say what exactly a dog sees, but I can imagine as he rushes passed the tree in search of the elusive fuzzy yellow ball, those low-hanging peaches look a lot like a tennis balls. Needless to say, the dog fetched a couple of unripened fruit. The good news is the branch no longer almost touches the ground. The bad news is we only have a few peaches to begin with.

Of course, in a few weeks this will no longer be a problem. Then we'll need to worry about the dog fetching fallen leaves, and after that, what are we going to do when we've got a few feet of snow? I guess we'll find out.

So...My Son Got A Puppy

Remember back when you were younger (or, maybe it even happens when you're older...) and there was something you wanted? You wanted it so bad you thought about it all the time. It might have been a car, or a jacket, or skis, or a computer...

...or a pet.

Something got into our second-oldest child a few months ago. He wanted a dog. We have a dog, but he wanted one for him. We started looking on-line and going down to our local pet store when they had dogs and puppies to adopt. There were some sweet and amazing animals, but none of them connected with him. They didn't feel right. I told him that if there was a dog out there that was supposed to become another member of our family, it would happen.

And it did.

He had been checking Petfinder.com fairly regularly, but nothing came up. We wanted a hypoallergenic dog because of allergy issues with our family. We thought, maybe a poodle and we wanted a rescue dog. My son looked and the closest rescue poodle was in Texas.

But last Friday my son decided to check again. He found one, a three-month old Standard Poodle puppy. He came upstairs and told us about it and urged us to put in an application. Long story short, twelve hours later, we were driving home with Bec.

It took a lot of courage for my son to commit to this. We're helping, but he knows it's his dog. I got my first dog, Tasha, when I was thirteen and she passed away seventeen years later. This dog will hopefully become a friend and companion for my son, someone to help him through the good times and the tough times. We feel this animal is going to change lives.

Yes, we have another animal living under our roof. It's not the easy choice, but things that matter most usually aren't. Welcome home, Bec. We've been waiting for you.