Back East, I never saw giant poodles at all. If I saw a poodle, it was small or toy, and generally looked like bleached topiary.
The big poodles are just awesome. As long as you don’t let someone with a set of clippers near them.
A poodle in its closest-to-natural state. Note the long-ish fur, the lack of poofballs, and the somewhat sarcastic expression.
They still do look a little silly when they are going for the 'noble, statuesque' look, though.
Feeling under the weather. I’ll post something in the morning.
Update: Okay, here it is. Sorry it’s so late.
He looks kind of subdued with his ears back like that, doesn’t he? I wonder what he’s thinking?
The white toes and the white blaze on his chest really add something, I think.
This isn’t exactly a repeat: Autumn and I went out walking a couple weeks ago and ran into this little guy again. He’s a few weeks older, and sure hasn’t gotten any less cute!
Second picture, with adoring fans, after the break.
God, look at those ears. Super cute.
The thing about pugs, the thing about pugs is… well, yeah, they’re ugly. Some people find them so-ugly-they’re-cute. Doesn’t matter: one thing they are is goofy-friendly. They’re one of the few almost-guaranteed fun small dogs. They love everyone, and if you don’t lean down and offer your hand they will often lick your ankle, if they can find one.
Does it sound like my standards are too low if I say 'this pug is definitely cute: both his eyes point in the same direction'.
Never heard of ’em. But apparently this guy is a pretty good specimen.
Edit: There is some controversy in the comments about the breed ID. If the ID were one I provided, I’d change it, but this one was provided by the dog owner, so I’m going to stick with it for now. If someone can give me a good positive ID, I’ll change it. (People are suggesting ‘goldendoodle’ or ‘labradoodle’ in the comments, but if so, this would be the biggest one I’d ever seen… even bigger (taller) than Hannibal the Animal.)
Look at that coat. He's not a mop, he's like thirty mops!
Another in the series of ‘we’re not really sure’ dogs. All we know is that this guy is clearly pretty awesome, and is also quite clearly convinced of that fact. Autumn thinks maybe he’s a German shepherd/collie mix, whereas I think I see a little bit of golden retriever in there. (Autumn’s the expert, though, so barring contradiction, she controls the tags. Besides… a golden mix with up ears? Does that happen?)
Anyway, whatever he is, he’s pretty clearly a self-confident and very well-trained pup. Two more pictures after the break.
I love the leg over the leash. And he used it just as you might expect, as a ‘hey, wait a minute, I want to meet this guy.’
First off, I’ll readily admit that we don’t really know what this guy is. Autumn hazarded a guess that he might be an American Staffordshire mix. I wouldn’t presume to say either way, since I’ve never actually seen (or even heard of) an American Staffordshire before. I think he looks a little like a pit bull, but not much.
Second off, look at the incision on that poor guy’s backside. There’s a closer look after the break, for those of you with strong intestinal fortitude. (Okay, okay, it’s not that bad.) But this guy is clearly a real trooper: he’s got this three-inch incision in his rear flank, and he doesn’t have to even wear the Cone of Shame. That’s pretty awesome.
Oh, and a post-picture note: we’re pretty sure we saw this guy again, a month or two after this picture was taken, about three miles from where I’d seen him this first time. Same shaved area, but it looked much much better. He seemed quite happy. And he still wasn’t wearing the cone of shame. Sorry, didn’t manage any pictures.
Look at that sad expression. Poor puppy, you'll be all better soon.
Look at this guy. Such a dynamic pose. Look at the swept-back ears, perfectly aerodynamic. Look at the sleek, muscular body. Look at the alert face. Look at the poised position, as he holds himself ready to go into action at the slightest need.
All of this can add up to only one thing: shameless camerahound! (Just one picture for today.)
I wonder if this guy's owner ends up getting dragged from camera to camera?
Poor guy. You can’t really tell from the picture, but trust me when I say that he really, really hated that thing. Of course I understand why he had it on: if the alternative is to chew open the stitches in your belly, it’s well worth it. But still, it makes them uncomfortable, and it sure does make them look silly.
Only one picture today, so you are excused from clicking on the title. Unless you want to leave a smart-alecy comment, of course.
I love this guy. You really need to look at the three pictures next to one another, though, to get the full effect. (So just click on the link in the title and look at the whole post, you know you want to.)
First... the setup. (And also the cute. Aussies are smart and totally adorable.)