# Not poodles but...



## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

I took the photos on the July 4th week-end when we were in Michigan at a Water Dog trial. Sam was 3 months post surgery at the time.


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## Harley_chik (Nov 7, 2008)

Great pics, it's nice to see dogs doing what they were bred to do! Sorry to hear about your boy, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you guys!


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## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

Thanks Harley_chik! Yes, both these guys (and our 2 before) have achieved their Courier Water Dog, which is one of the highest levels of the PWD water trialing... It is so awesome to see them work like they would have on the boats, it's been known to bring a tear to the eye of some spectators. My mom is a PWDCA Water Judge now (the first Canadian one), so she's pretty serious about it all!


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## Emily-By (Jul 17, 2009)

Is the coat of the PWD similar to the poodle? does it require less/more/roughly the same amount of grooming?


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## BFF (Jun 10, 2009)

Those are great pictures. Absolutely love the action shot where Ziggy is flying through the air. I'll keep Sam in my thoughts so he can experience quality time with you. He looks adorable.


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## spoospirit (Mar 10, 2009)

_Lovely dogs! And great that they work like they were meant to do.

So sorry to hear about Sam. I will keep you in my thoughts. 
_


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## AgilityIG (Feb 8, 2009)

I love PWDs! One of my best friends is a water judge too. She wants me to put Vinnie in a lion trim and I think we're going to do it next summer!

She lost one of her PWDs to Hemangiosarcoma also - very sad. Good luck with Sam!!

Little Ziggy looks like a real firecracker!!


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## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

Emily-By said:


> Is the coat of the PWD similar to the poodle? does it require less/more/roughly the same amount of grooming?


The PWD actually has two coats - the curly and the wavy. The curly is more like a poodle, while the wavy is more like a Havanese perhaps, only less silky. Sam and Zig are both curlies, but Sam has a soft curl while Zig has a more wiry curl. So they really vary. I would say the grooming requirements are similar to a poodle, depending on the coat type (curly often need more, loose wavy need less). They have to be trimmed every 6 to 8 weeks and brushed much more often than that.

I think poodles tend to be less allergenic than PWDs. I know my mom, who has bad dog allergies, is slightly allergic to the PWD (we've had them 20 years, she's willing to live through the allergy) but so far has not been at all allergic to the poodles we've visited on my hunt!


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## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

AgilityIG said:


> I love PWDs! One of my best friends is a water judge too. She wants me to put Vinnie in a lion trim and I think we're going to do it next summer!
> 
> She lost one of her PWDs to Hemangiosarcoma also - very sad. Good luck with Sam!!
> 
> Little Ziggy looks like a real firecracker!!


That's so funny, I bet we know your friend! There's not all that many water judges about. You should definitely put Vinnie (who also seems like a real Ziggy type firecracker) in a lion. Zig's in one and it's so cute, although my dad hates it as in the park people always ask if she had surgery! :heh: My mom is threatening to put my poodle in one next summer. My poodle when i get it of course.


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## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

Oh and thanks all for the good wishes for Sam! Cancer is sadly a reality amongst so many breeds, and the PWD is no exception. Both our previous dogs died of cancer (one at 14 and one at 10 and a half) so we're familiar with it. So far his quality of life is great with no indication that there's anything wrong, but as soon as he's in pain or not enjoying things, we know what we have to do. My mom wrote a bucket list for him and he's ticked almost everything off, so we'll have to think of more to add to it!


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## AgilityIG (Feb 8, 2009)

Cdnjennga said:


> That's so funny, I bet we know your friend! There's not all that many water judges about. You should definitely put Vinnie (who also seems like a real Ziggy type firecracker) in a lion. Zig's in one and it's so cute, although my dad hates it as in the park people always ask if she had surgery! :heh: My mom is threatening to put my poodle in one next summer. My poodle when i get it of course.


Vinnie's tail isn't docked, so it really makes him look like a very small PWD. Through my friend, I know quite a few people that have PWDs and there are a few out there that are pretty small and running in the 16" division in AKC agility. I am going to wait until next spring for the lion trim so he'll look more mature and can handle the look. :biggrin:



Cdnjennga said:


> My mom wrote a bucket list for him and he's ticked almost everything off, so we'll have to think of more to add to it!


I love that your mom did a bucket list for him - what a wonderful idea. And, it's even better that you are going to have to add to it!!


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## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

AgilityIG said:


> I love that your mom did a bucket list for him - what a wonderful idea. And, it's even better that you are going to have to add to it!!


Yeah, the bucket list is awesome, it has all his favourite thing on it. The only problem, if you can call it that, is that we have been spoiling him for 4 months now thinking that he's on his way out. He's going strong but is a pain in the b*** constantly demanding cookies and other treats! We've created a monster - that we're very happy to still have around.


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## poodlelover (Oct 19, 2008)

I love PWDs. I was going to get one. But I could not find one at the time. So I got another Standard. Sadly she just passed away in June from the same cancer Sam has. The cancer was found to late. I will keep my fingers crossed for Sam. Your dogs are nice looking. Great pictures.


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## Pamela (Sep 9, 2008)

great dogs! great shots!


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## amerique2 (Jun 21, 2009)

They look like they are having so much fun. Guess it would really be a plus if an owner has access to water. Thanks for the pics.


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## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

amerique2 said:


> They look like they are having so much fun. Guess it would really be a plus if an owner has access to water. Thanks for the pics.


Access to the water definitely helps. My parents live about 10 houses from Lake Ontario, so our guys are constantly swimming and retrieving in the summer. Having said that, it is possible to do a lot of training for the PWD exercises on land, so most owners train all year, and some only have very limited access to water!


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## spoofan (Dec 11, 2008)

They are beautiful pups.
I lost my standard poodle Gabby to hemangiosarcoma last summer at the age of 12.
She lived exactly 6 months post splenectomy(spleen removal).


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## thestars (May 2, 2009)

Your PWD are wonderful!!! Love how active they are, they simple shine when they are working!!!


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## SECRETO (Aug 20, 2008)

Great pics ! I really like PWD's although I havent actually interacted with one. One day I'd like to possibly look into getting one of the wavy coat guys. Yours seem wonderful and I hope Sam has many more months with your family.


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## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

Thanks all! I was with my parents and dogs yesterday, and Sam is doing great! My mom of course panics if he so much as droops his head a little, but we are happy for every day we have with him.

As for Ziggy, that little girl is just too smart... She excels in all sorts of performance sports but up until now we have not taken the time to teach her any tricks. Embarrassing, I know, but when everyone else's dogs are showing off we can get her to lie down and that's about it! Anyway, while I was waiting for my mom to get off the phone yesterday, I decided to teach her shake a paw with the aid of a clicker and some cheerios. She had a pretty solid paw shake down within 15 minutes, not bad! Sam of course got a cheerio every time she did just for being his cute self.


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## Bella's Momma (Jul 26, 2009)

Wow, look at them! They look like fun. I had never seen one in person until a few weeks ago when someone brought two into the vet. Bella was trying to go all 'tough' dog on them until they rounded the corner and she could see how much they dwarfed her. They were friendly but she was too busy hiding behind me at that point to meet them. I had no idea they were so big!


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## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

Bella's Momma said:


> Wow, look at them! They look like fun. I had never seen one in person until a few weeks ago when someone brought two into the vet. Bella was trying to go all 'tough' dog on them until they rounded the corner and she could see how much they dwarfed her. They were friendly but she was too busy hiding behind me at that point to meet them. I had no idea they were so big!


Haha, that's funny. I realize Bella's not a SPoo, but I met two big male SPoos yesterday and was shocked at how big they were! They made my PWDs seem tiny in comparison.  You maybe saw some overly big ones. A PWD should only be 19 to 22 inches at the shoulder, but some people have been breeding some that are away over standard... Ziggy is 19 inches and I can easily pick her up and carry her around!


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## Bella's Momma (Jul 26, 2009)

Cdnjennga said:


> Haha, that's funny. I realize Bella's not a SPoo, but I met two big male SPoos yesterday and was shocked at how big they were! They made my PWDs seem tiny in comparison.  You maybe saw some overly big ones. A PWD should only be 19 to 22 inches at the shoulder, but some people have been breeding some that are away over standard... Ziggy is 19 inches and I can easily pick her up and carry her around!


Bella is a standard poodle, she is just 4 months, though. I'm continually surprised at how quickly she is growing! She's nearly 30 lbs and I don't know how tall (I should check!) and these PWDs were bigger than her...maybe the size of a male Golden or Lab. I had always thought they were a smaller dog.


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## spoospirit (Mar 10, 2009)

_i have seen them at the shows and they were not big like that! They were probably the size of the ones that Cdn mentioned.
_


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## coastmom (Jun 23, 2009)

Love it! What great pictures of your dogs. I especially love the pictures of Ziggy, I think, jumping into the water.

Hope Sam is doing great and beating the odds!


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## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

*Sad day*

As you were all so concerned and kind about Sam, I just thought I'd let you know he had to be put to sleep this evening. He was doing really well, but suddenly yesterday took a turn for the worse. My mom knew something was up when he didn't greet her at the door when she got home from work. As he was still eating and drinking and didn't seem to be in too much pain, she decided to wait and see if it was a temporary setback. But then this evening they were at the beach and a dog knocked him over. He really struggled to get up so she knew things were getting worse, and she and my dad took him straight to the vet.

The vet confirmed he was internally bleeding and it was time. So while they waited for him to finish up with other patients, my parents sat in the car with Sam (one of his favourite places) and fed him a bar of dark chocolate (one of his favourite things, even though he wasn't allowed it as it's lethal for dogs.) They put a blanket on the vet floor for him, and he was snoring gently as he was put to sleep in my mom's arms, with my dad and Ziggy there as well. As my mom said, she was there to help him into the world (he was the first pup born of our first ever litter) so it was only fitting that she be there to help him out.

He was a great dog. We'll all miss him a lot. Bye buddy. :weep:


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## FUZBUTZ (Aug 23, 2008)

Yes it is a very sad day. Been there, done that, it is so very hard, but something we all will probably have to do at some time, since all of us on this forum are animal lovers, and probably will never be totally w/o them in our lives. I can tell by your posts and pictures that Sam had a wonderful life and that he brought a lot of joy to your family as well. I know that your family and Ziggy will miss Sam a lot. R.I.P. sweet Sam.


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## Emily-By (Jul 17, 2009)

Poetic, I'm sorry for your loss but happy for his life that was full of love and life. 
Rest in peace Sam <3


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## aki (Jul 19, 2009)

I'm so sorry for your loss. It's great that he had his bucket list, and really had a great time before he had to go. Not to mention he was with loved ones as he went.

Losing an animal is never going to be easy, but we should be thankful for all the wonderful and silly moments they brought to our lives. Rest in peace Sam.


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## Locket (Jun 21, 2009)

So sorry to hear about Sam. He lived a great life with you and your family. I wish you all the best and hope Ziggy doesn't miss her friend too much.


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## *heather* (Jul 30, 2009)

So sorry for your loss  my thoughts are with you and your family ...


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## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

Thanks for your kind words everyone. It is so sad every time we lose one of our furry family members. This one makes me feel especially sad, as Sam was the last of the dogs I grew up with. Ziggy is the first of the dogs my parents got after I moved out.

Anyway, I'm not sure how Ziggy is taking this loss. Last night she was given a chew at the vet's which I think was more interesting than what was going on with Sam. But this morning she apparently had a freak out when she realized my parents were leaving for work and she was there by herself. She's a social dog (and she loved Sam) - she won't be happy as a single dog for long. Good thing my poodle should be joining the pack in a few months.


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## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

*Sam's Eulogy*

Just thought I'd share the sweet note my mom sent out to friends and family today about our boy.


18th December 1997---- 3rd September 2009

Our beautiful boy Sam was put to sleep last night. He had five and a half healthy wonderful months after his emergency surgery and diagnosis of hemangiosarcoma on March 23rd. 

He was the first puppy born from my first litter. I fell in love with him the minute I held him in my hands and last night he died in my arms. Peacefully and with dignity.

Sam, lover of chocolate, wine, pizza, ice cream, wood fires, car rides and of course his family.

Thank you for being my dog. You taught me so much.

Our home is empty without you. Good night sweet Prince


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## poodlelover (Oct 19, 2008)

So sorry about Sam. My poodle passed away in June from the same problem, but only lived 3 weeks after I found out about it. It is so hard to loose a pet. Sam will visit my Seabreeze in rainbow heaven. So sorry again. Take care.


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## Evik (Sep 2, 2009)

Cdnjennga, I'm very sorry for you loss. I know it hurts so much right know, but Sam will be always with you in your hearts, he is looking down at you from the Dog's heaven now


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## PomPom (Aug 8, 2008)

Your dogs are gorgeous, great pics!


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