Poodle Care
Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 6:43AM Owning a Standard Poodle is a high privilege. Ranked in the top 5 of intelligent dogs, they are also loyal and loving and good with kids AND one of the few large breeds that does not shed.
That last part is really why we have a poodle. Hayden was two when we got a dog so a large breed was a must. He would have squished a little dog.
Non-shedding is key because my house cleaning skills will not hold up to a shedding dog. We would become those people who go everywhere covered in a fine layer of fur.
Plus, when you have a poodle? You get to tuck the word "poodle" into all kinds of conversations. And as Lorelai and Rory Gilmore have sagely noted, "poodle" is just darned fun to say.
LORELAI: Huh. You know what I just realized? Oy is the funniest word in the entire world.
RORY: Huh.
LORELAI: I mean, think about it. You never hear the word oy and not smile. Impossible. Funny, funny word.
EMILY: Oh, dear God.
LORELAI: Poodle is another funny word.
EMILY: Please drink your drink, Lorelai.
LORELAI: In fact, if you put oy and poodle together in the same sentence, you’d have a great new catch phrase, you know? Like, oy with the poodles already. So from now on, when the perfect circumstances arise, we will use our favorite new catch phrase.
RORY: Oy with the poodles already.
LORELAI: I’m telling you, it’s knocking ‘whatcha talking ‘bout, Willis?’ right out of first place.
(Sorry for that. But The Gilmore Girls is the best show ever. Period. The end. If I can slip a memorable scene into a post, I have to do it.)
BUT the big down side is grooming costs. With tip, we pay about $75 every 8 weeks or so to have the poodle groomed. To keep me from complaining, my groomer (and neighbor and friend) has this sign in the window of her shop:
The top 10 Reasons your dog’s hair cut costs more than yours....
10. Your hairdresser doesn’t wash and clean your rear end
9. You don’t go for 8 weeks with out washing or brushing your hair
8. Your hairdresser doesn’t give you a sanitary trim
7. Your hairdresser doesn’t have to clean your ears
6. Your hairdresser doesn’t have to clean boogies from your eyes
5. You sit still for your hairdresser
4. Your haircut doesn’t include a manicure or pedicure
3. Your hairdresser only washes and cuts the hair on your head
2. You don’t BITE or SCRATCH your hairdresser (at least I hope not!) And the NUMBER ONE reason your dog’s hair cut costs more than yours....
1. The likelihood of you pooping or peeing while your hair is being cut is extremely slim.
Add to that, that our dog takes 3-4 hours to groom and suddenly the fee seems like a bargain.
The Poodle goes in for her grooming today. This post is serving as a pep talk to me for writing that check.
Reader Comments (20)
That list made me laugh and thanks for the reminder - we have a Cockapoo and he has to have the same amount of grooming. Although we push it and often go four months or so (gasp) without a groom. Of course that means I have to bathe him and do his anal glands in the meantime. Yes, I said the words anal glands. :)
aww we had a cocker-poo that was part toy poodle for YEARS. She was such a patient dog, she'd let us kids put her little ears up in a ponytail holder so it looked like she a poof on top of her head and then she'd run around happy as a clam. Poodles are such sweet dogs.
So funny but so true!!!!
LOVE the sign your groomer keeps. This has now encouraged me to get my own little ball of fur in for her haircut. Luckily we can go 4 months between groomings, but I still cringe at the $75 too. I know my little Lacy is a biter and does poop when she's upset by circumstances so there you go. worth every single penny.
Gilmore Girls, totally agree, seriously THE.BEST.SHOW.EVER I loved listening to the banter between Rory and Lorelai.
And...I'm suddenly happy that I have a shedder...even if it means sweeping every other day.
mindee, where you lead, i will follow. LOVE THAT SHOW FOREVER.
"We would become those people who go everywhere covered in a fine layer of fur." That sentence could have read "We would become the Kollars". Thank you for choosing not to word it that way.
I have a dog now who is supposed to be groomed and I am choosing not to do it. May be a ginormous mistake. I am taking a dog grooming class at SCC. If I get good at it, I may have yet another business to start. Little Miss Barkypants? There will be no butt cleaning though.
I heart Curlese. (did i spell it right?)
Sadly, we have the world's MOST shedding-ist dog ever. Since we moved to Florida, Big Molly has made shedding a professional sport. And she's a gold medalist. This means that we have become one of those families who goes everywhere with a thin layer of dog hair all over them. I'm getting used to it. And that makes me hate it even more.
Maybe I need a poodle. Oy!
~ Katie
www.marriageconfessions.com
And that's why I'm a cat person . . . .
I'll take biting, scratching and shedding over yard poo removal and grooming any day. : )
Your dog is pretty...I love the Standard Poodle and you don't see too many of them around. Perhaps your list explains why. We have a Gordon Setter...she is big and she drools and she sheds. But she is the most lovable dog I've ever known so that counts for something right?
A dog that does not shed would be so nice. My 10 year old dog for the past two years sheds non stop. He used to just shed real bad twice a year. He is a mangy mutt. You even bump into him a he falls apart. I have 3 dogs & I am one of those people that you come over to my house and you try to take your shoes off & I beg you to put them back on.
Our grommer comes to our house in a big van. It's nice. Only she will not groom the one I am speeking of because he tried to bit her 6 times :(
I love the sign at your groomers.
That's part of the reason we got a Yorkie...or at least this Yorkie. She doesnt shed--in fact, I think I shed more than she does.
After watching "Dirtiest Jobs" and seeing that groomers are suppose to squeeze the dogs' butt glands, I never gave a second thought to what I have to pay for Ranger's grooming. Totally worth every penny!
I love the gilmore girls! I still watch all the re-runs!!!
I laughed so hard at this one - I've had the same discussion with your dad every time
it's necessary for him to pick the Yorkie up at the groomers and pay the bill.
Although our bill is only $40 since she's little, it's worth every cent and more. The
non-shedding is a non-negotiable item at our house now. No more dog hair!
Thanks for a laugh - and hope you bring the Poodle this weekend.
Mom
Too funny! Mindee, you have a way of making pretty much anything funny. Thank you!!
My mom used to be a dog groomer while she was working her way through college. It's hard work. I can't get a dog that needs to be groomed and expect her to do it. She would say "no way," even to her favorite daughter.
Marla @ www.asthefarmturns.wordpress.com
VERY informative sign and it totally does the job. Hey, I've always wondered about standard poodles, are they as great as they say they are? In fact, when we were a naive and dogless family, all the research pointed to getting a standard poodle as our number one choice. I don't know what happened. I think I regret not having a smart, smart dog. Do you know how smart your dog is? I thought our lab was smart until we got Tonka, our german mix. She's just a puppy but I can tell her intelligence is higher. I think I might really have enjoyed being in the presence of a highly intelligent canine. Can you sense that, with your poodle?
I have a tip that works here, but may be counter-productive for you. If you find a small, podunk town, the groomer charges half as much and can still be as skilled.
That's a fantastic sign, it really puts pet grooming into perspective! And definitely knocks it off my list of possible careers.
Also? Skye and her mom were obsessed with Gilmore Girls.
But I've never seen it.
I laughed so hard at this! Gilmore Girls is my FAVORITE show EVER. In fact, I named my precious baby girl Rory because I've always adored that name from watching that show. But I'm not like, weird, and name my kid after a stinking show. I just love the name! HA!
P.S. Just started reading your blog and I love it!