X, I'm not sure if there is actually a dog called a French poodle. There are standard, miniature, and toy poodles. I guess poodles born in France would count as French poodles. I remember them being call "French" when I was a kid, but that seems sort of insulting, you know? The word "poodle" actually has German roots, see dictionary.com .
Our next door neighbors have a standard poodle. That dog has an attitude, she's always beating up on the lab from the other side. Our old cocker spaniel from the shelter is indifferent to the neighborhood dogs, he always goes looking for people to suck up to. He only looks dumb.
Irish Wolfhounds are great, though short lived. My favorite story is of Gelert, sad though it may be..
In the 13th century, LLewelyn, Prince of North Wales, had a palace in Beddgelert. One day he went hunting without Gelert, his faithful hound, who was unaccountably absent. On Llewelyn’s return, the truant hound, stained and smeared with blood, joyfully sprang to meet his master. The Prince, alarmed, hastened to find his infant son, and found the bed empty, the bedclothes and floor splattered with blood.
The frantic father plunged his sword into the hound’s side, believing the hound had killed his beloved son. The Wolfhound’s dying call was answered by the child’s cry. Llewelyn searched and discovered his son, unharmed. But nearby the child, lay the bodies of several wolves, slain by Gelert. The Prince, his heart filled with remorse and shame, is said never to have smiled again. http://home.fiac.net/marshaw/histryiw.htm
Cheers, Dan. |
