Family Affair Standard Poodles

As you already know, my name is Wendy. I want to tell you a little about myself and my family and how FAMILY AFFAIR STANDARD POODLES began and, of course, our future plans.

Some of my earliest childhood memories are of cuddling puppies and kittens, feeding chickens and horseback riding. Mama saw to it we had every type pet we wanted from parakeets and ferrets to horses. She also made sure we learned the huge responsibility of taking care of them. We learned at a very young age the importance of good cleaning practices, feeding habits and medical care to assure that our pets were all happy and healthy. When Holley was a young teenager and I was about ten we raised and sold rabbits, hamster and mice to local pet stores. We did this to help mama support our horse-showing hobby. The miracle of birth and the sadness of death was a part of our everyday lives. Although things were not perfect in some areas of our lives, this was an amazing, blessed way to grow up. Our home was always full of God’s creatures and we loved each and every one, even the mice!

Just after opening the grooming shop in 1989, we met our first Standard Poodle. Into the shop one day walked a beautiful pair of black Standard Poodles. It was a mother and her son. Venus, the mother, was a gorgeous, loving, elegant, and petite Standard Poodle. Her son, Keegan, on the other hand, still just a puppy, was a huge combination of fun, personality, intelligence and striking good looks. This was the moment my family’s love affair with the Standard Poodle began. We met another breed in the early days of operating the grooming shop that stole our hearts and that was the West Highland White Terrier (Westies), “the little dog with a big dog attitude”. We were surprised that we fell in love with the Standard Poodle and the Westie, because our favorite breeds had always been the Collie and Sheltie (mini collie). Mama groomed Keegan and Venus every few weeks and also trained Keegan. As a result the two were in the shop and in our home on a regular basis. Keegan would come and stay just because we loved him. We grew to love their more confident, protective nature and large size, in comparison to the Shelties. A huge plus in comparing the breed to the Collie, was no shedding or odor. These qualities and the intelligence and loyalty of Keegan and Venus, convinced us this was a breed worth sharing with everyone.