Are You Ready for a Poodle Mix?

My son declared that he wanted a puppy, and as our dog was getting long in the tooth, it seemed time to introduce a new one to the family. Addie, the senior dog, was not consulted as to what breed this dog was to be. If she had been, she probably would have told us not to get a poodle mix.

I had recently heard that poodle mixes didn't shed, so I determined to wait for one before granting my son's request. When the local animal shelter listed a shepherd-poodle mix puppy on its web site, we immediately set off to meet the little guy. Scooby, as he was later named, had curly black hair with a white streak on his chest. He was quite friendly and also very energetic. He's a puppy, we thought. He will calm down as he grows. So we took him home.

Scooby did indeed grow. But calming down was not on his agenda. He was obsessed with food, and loved to grab it from our hands while performing acrobatics in mid-air. He rummaged through every corner of the house, and once he'd cleaned up every crumb my kids had left, he pulled dirty paper towels out of the trash and proceeded to consume them as well. This was intolerable, of course. Scooby was consigned to a crate, where he continued to grow exponentially. His innocent demeanor made it difficult to be angry with him. He clearly had no idea why what he was doing was wrong.

I of course let Scooby out whenever I had safely secured all the food and trash. My children quickly learned the meaning of the words "duck and cover." This is what I say when I open his crate. He then bounds out, madly dashes about the house, then heads out to do his business. I follow the same procedure to let him back in. Everyone hangs on to a secure object as he whirls by in his excitement to be back in the house (small children have been caught in his wake and knocked off their feet).