A Black Standard Poodle Named:  Ben or BFF,
Benjamin Franklin Fiddler

Born  October 17, 2016 to

Lee & Mary Agnes Fiddler

Arriving home on Dec. 20, 2016

Yes, we have taken a big step towards confinement at our ripe old age. At least for the next six months we shall be kind of restricted as Ben becomes potty trained and the doggie terrible two’s. That’s the gnawing on chair legs, rug ends, socks, shoes and the like. We are just thankful it’s a Poodle and not a Lab. Labs have a tendency of turning chair legs into toothpicks and rugs into spun fiber.

Labs have coexisted within our walls in the past, four of them to be exact. This will be my third poodle. My first was CoCo, back in my high school days, a CoCo brown standard, she was also a great hunting dog. A born bird hunter, she wouldn’t retrieve, but she could run a track and jump any living thing 10-20 yards out front.

She did have two ominous down sides. That coco brown kinky fur of her’s could attract a plethora of burrs. She refused to get wet crossing a stream, I’d cross, drop the shotgun, no, not literally drop it, I’d place it gently on the ground. I would then return to this 50 pound girl, cradle her in my arms and get carry her to the other side. This was not much of an effort early in the morning but after three or four hours in the brush of Burlington County, NJ and heading home, she was a load. There is a good read on hunting Poodles @ https://www.nrablog.com/articles/2015/9/the-poodle-underrated-hunting-dog/

 
Our most recent Poodle resided with us for seven years, she was a rescue dog of one year of age when we adopted her. She was smarter than both of us, a great watch dog, a lover of children and a constant companion. We lost her suddenly in June of this year and are thankful to have a new Poodle to once again be a part of our family. It was a decision made with lots of thought behind it.

Our replacement is not a white standard female this time but a Black Standard male. He does have white socks on his feet, a splotch of white on his face and chest, I’ll refer to it a touch of Maggie. His daddy is 84 pounds and if Ben grows up to be like him, ominous he will be. Ben will have a cousin in CT named Cody that is equally as big and black and with the shaggy clip he gets looks like a Gorilla.

If we can remember how we did it with Maggie, Troop, Marsh, Duke, Saucy and Ping, we just might have something unique as part of our household. We look forward to the challenge and I shall share our progress from time to time. Wish us luck, please wish us luck. Just wait until he meets Casper and the hens.

Ben will come to us from Bireley Poodles, you can check out all his relatives on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/BireleyStandardPoodles/?fref=ts
Have a great Thanksgiving weekend, enjoy those leftovers and be kind to your K9 friends.

Poodles have been on parade here in Wicomico County for quite a few years. Take a gander @ http://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/2016/04/27/poodles-parade-dog-show-takes-salisbury/83600510/