Well those of you who know me probably figured I would have to get in here. Yes, standard poodles are terrific (I have a cream colored female right now) as are miniature poodles and toy poodles and I've had them all! There is a poodle size for every taste! My last standard poodle was black and her name was Whitney. She has been at the Rainbow Bridge since 1996 and had all of the qualities that you describe. She lived to please her humans and was almost human in her understanding. She came in second place in obedience school and it was because of a "handler error" and her handler was my hubby. My present poodle, Bella, is a sweetie and very smart also but is also the most apt to get in trouble of all of the poodles that I have had. She is 9 months old now and can be very much like a human toddler during "the terrible twos!"

I am so glad you got to meet a standard poodle and form your own opinion about the breed. There was a thread a while back and it dealt with the way poodles are often viewed by some people, and they often can't get beyond the fancy clips that some of them have. Thank you for your nice note!