# The little girl with the bunny tail who gave my Mom's life new meaning



## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

These are some photos of Bibelot's Parchment (Mache) the little girl I bought for my Mom a few years after a house fire destroyed her breeding foundation and left seven of us homeless. This wee girl was my Mother's new beginning. Mache's first litter produced Bibelot Cherod Tinsmith (Thinker) who has been somewhat legendary in the silver Standard Poodle world in North America.

I hope you enjoy these pictures. Looking through them made my heart sing, knowing what this girl did for my Mom's life!


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## Rowan (May 27, 2011)

She's a beauty! Such a nice, crisp, winter white coat. I've always loved the contrast between a black and a white poodle.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Some more photos of Mache...playing with my first beloved Whippet Asia, and some of her kids, grandkids and my Mom loving them all!


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

The newspaper article about the fire...I hope you can read it...


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Rowan said:


> She's a beauty! Such a nice, crisp, winter white coat. I've always loved the contrast between a black and a white poodle.


She was a little beauty. She died last year at 14 years of age. After my Mom passed away, Mache took her first plane ride, flying back to British Columbia with my niece after the funeral. There she spent nearly three years living with children, in the mountains, jogging every day, taking part in parades and being the best ever show and tell my great nieces and nephew ever had! My Mom would have been delighted.


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## LEUllman (Feb 1, 2010)

Wonderful pictures of a happy ending to a heartbreaking tragedy. Thank you for sharing!


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

Such a sweet face - some dogs you look at and their sweetness just shines out clear as a bell. A testiment to your Mom's strenght and that of your family to come back even stronger after such a tragedy.


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## Laceypoo (Aug 23, 2011)

Thanks for sharing these memories with us - some very tragic and others tender and touching. Mache was quite a beauty!


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## MamaTiff (Sep 23, 2011)

So nice of you to share those with us. She was a gorgeous dog for sure.


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## outwest (May 1, 2011)

Thank you for showing her to us, she was so beautiful. Do you have any of her descendents? She was a great gift to your mother, I can tell. 

When I was a little girl, our house burned up, too. I can still smell the smell of going through the house afterwards. My dolly was all melted.  I will never forget the fire even though I was 6 years old at the time. It is stuck permanently in my memory and to this day, I do not care much for fire.


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## Maura9900 (Mar 31, 2011)

She was beautiful! Thanks for sharing.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

outwest said:


> Thank you for showing her to us, she was so beautiful. Do you have any of her descendents? She was a great gift to your mother, I can tell.
> 
> When I was a little girl, our house burned up, too. I can still smell the smell of going through the house afterwards. My dolly was all melted.  I will never forget the fire even though I was 6 years old at the time. It is stuck permanently in my memory and to this day, I do not care much for fire.


Thank you for your kindness. Mache was Mommy to four litters and produced nearly 30 children. My Mom was lucky enough to live with one of her sons and two of her grand daughters from 2 separate litters. Mache's son Thinker was a prolific stud dog. He sired 30 litters, and I have Facebook friends from a number of countries around the world with his children and grand children. There are fields champs, agility champs, obedience champs, agility champs and conformation champs. Thinker lived with us after my Mom passed away for three and a half incredible, memory filled, touching years. So, the little girl with the bunny tail left her mark on this world.

Living through a house fire changes you forever. For the first ten years afterward, if I was sitting idle and my mind wasn't occupied, I would see the fire in my mind. We have never had a wood stove because I think the smell might make me paranoid. I am sorry you ever had to go through that experience.


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## Sapphire-Light (Jun 9, 2010)

So cute!! she looks like a special girl :angel2: , and its good to heard she made more people happy wit her offspring.

About bunny tails, hers looks long to me since vets from my country butcher the tails of dogs 

They only leave 1 or 2 verts and I had seen some who take them all of them :ahhhhh: 

Worse of all they do the crops when the puppies are at least 2 or 3 months :argh: , so the little bobs have scars that carry all the dogs life, and sometimes the hair never fully grows back .

Since my red toy has a long show dock, some people are surprised to know he is docked, mostly when they see his fluffy tail pompom.


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## spoospirit (Mar 10, 2009)

_Such bittersweet memories for you and your family. I cannot imagine the horror of not only loosing your house, but your dogs as well. 

Your gift to your mom restored her life and purpose and look at the legacy it left behind. You can't ask for better than that for memories to balance the bad ones. 

A house fire was my biggest fear while I was raising my children. I laid awake at night thinking of how I would get them out of the house safely. At one point I had all six children home and we were living in a three story apartment. I have been very fortunate to not have experienced such a tragedy in my life. I am happy for you and your family that you found hope and blessings in the aftermath._


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

spoospirit said:


> _Such bittersweet memories for you and your family. I cannot imagine the horror of not only loosing your house, but your dogs as well.
> 
> Your gift to your mom restored her life and purpose and look at the legacy it left behind. You can't ask for better than that for memories to balance the bad ones.
> 
> A house fire was my biggest fear while I was raising my children. I laid awake at night thinking of how I would get them out of the house safely. At one point I had all six children home and we were living in a three story apartment. I have been very fortunate to not have experienced such a tragedy in my life. I am happy for you and your family that you found hope and blessings in the aftermath._


Once you have lived through a house fire, you become extremely paranoid about the possibility of another one. Whenever I smell burning leaves or garbage my first thought is "Oh my God...is that MY house?" We re putting a pellet stove in our rec room, but only after my daughter having one and knowing there is no smell in the house. I'd never sleep again if there were!

Mache was an enormous blessing for Mom. We had no idea when we got her what wonderful kids she'd produce, so that was the cherry on top! Thinker was my Mom's absolute heart dog, so many good things evolved from this horrible tragedy.


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

*Cherie*: I am so glad you kept poodles in your family, and well understand you barring fire from it! My husband's childhood home burned to the ground, as did our next door neighbor's house where we used to live, and once upon a time Chagall's breeder's home as well; she lost six beloved poodles.

There is something so remarkable about both the resiliency of the human spirit, and companionship of poodles, to propel people beyond tragedy. Your gift of a poodle to you mother surely breathed new life and hope and excitement into her;_ no daughter could do more!_ You deserve the immense pleasure of knowing the offspring of your mother's beloved poodle have gone on to to light up the world for so many. Life may have knocked your family around, but the way you rebounded is a tribute to you all, and all your poodles, past and present.

Mache had that special gift of magic; she came to the right place at the right time to diminish sorrow and plant joy--and she did that so very well! Lovely girl, heartwarming outcome and truly inspiring family story!:love2:


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## spoospirit (Mar 10, 2009)

ArreauStandardPoodle said:


> Once you have lived through a house fire, you become extremely paranoid about the possibility of another one. Whenever I smell burning leaves or garbage my first thought is "Oh my God...is that MY house?" We re putting a pellet stove in our rec room, but only after my daughter having one and knowing there is no smell in the house. I'd never sleep again if there were!
> 
> Mache was an enormous blessing for Mom. We had no idea when we got her what wonderful kids she'd produce, so that was the cherry on top! Thinker was my Mom's absolute heart dog, so many good things evolved from this horrible tragedy.


_So difficult to live with such fear. I know this is PTSD. It sounds like you have found successful ways to deal with it. I love pellet stoves. My parents had one that heated their whole house. Now my sister has it and it is so quiet, feeds itself and does a great job of heating their home. Enjoy your new stove and be at peace._


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