What a wonderful breed! Not only does their non-shed coat keep your house looking great, but they're pretty adept at swimming as well---though you wouldn't know it from my land lubber guys.

Originally bred in Germany, the name poodle comes from the German word which means water dog. And yes, they've made good retrievers, but the miniatures, which I've had, were bred to be more of a companion dog---a really smart companion dog that is.

Their intelligence often gets them in trouble, which is why they make for excellent storytelling. In fact my very first book in The Adventures of the Poodle Posse series has a story entitled 'The Case of the Missing Steak Bone.' This tale really developed in my home with one dog stealing a bone, hiding it, then losing it to the other poodle of the house, who hid it again. Their game of hide-and-seek lasted over a day, with a case of one dog outsmarting the other. And that's how the series was born.

But on any given day, they can be found as many a pet, curled up next to you on the sofa---or finding their way into the next adventure! For more information on fun poodle tales, log onto www.wellbredbook.net.