Speaking as another poodle owner, and also a foster for rescued poodles, I wholeheartedly agree with Pam's assessment. We just fostered a standard poodle, and she was just a love. Even though she had been neglected, (not abused), she gave us her trust wholeheartedly and fit in great with our human and animal family. She loved our other dogs, and tried extremely hard to make friends with our cat (who wasn't having ANY part of it).

I will say that younger poodles can be VERY exciteable, and need a firm hand for training. Every poodle I've ever met has been extremely intelligent, but that doesn't mean they're easy to train. You'll need to make sure you know what you're doing, or go to a reputable training place.

As for the grooming, a quick brush every day keeps most of the mats out of their hair. I think most dogs have some kind of grooming issue.