There is nothing wrong with liking poodles! They are wonderful pets and very intelligent.

I really don't understand the stigma behind a wide ranging public dislike of the breed. Maybe there is a male insecurity thing about having a "foo-foo" dog. For those people, just don't groom the dog with the crazy cuts.

A great thing about poodles is that they don't stink and they don't shed. For most people, this is a dream come true. I wear as much of Sophie's hair as she does, it seems. She doesn't stink, but she sheds. It seems that every time someone asks me about papillons, the first question they have is "Does she shed?" Of course she does, most dogs do. (She doesn't stink, I'll take that any day...)

To those people, I recommend the poodle, but invariably they say "But I don't like poodles." I ask why and they can never tell me a reason. Most often the answer I get is "I don't know, I just don't like them."

Does anyone else have an idea what the problem is with these people? I think that if someone doesn't want a dog that sheds, they really don't want a dog. Even so, Terriers don't shed, Bichons don't shed, and poodles don't shed. These same people who ask don't seem to like any of these other breeds either. Are they searching for a reason to not have a dog? It seems so to me...