Monday, May 11, 2015

Cole asks, "who you callin' old?!"

mama's  puppy!!!

"I was born a little pup on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. My mom was white as the snow, my dad was a champion dark black like me. My brothers and sisters and I grew up on a farm, going swimming every day with mom, learning from her how to hunt.

One day the humans said someone is coming out to see you... and two of the cutest sweetest humans drove up.

I was, of course, standing peacefully in my water bowl, waiting quietly...watching...knowing this was my day to leave. My two hulking white brothers were throwing themselves at the fence, barking and acting like eeejits, as usual. That's what they did. My little sis always quiet, knew she'd be staying there so she wasn't interested in the newcomers.

To make a long story short, I went over to the woman, said, "pick me up", she did and we locked eyes.

 It was all over but the exchange of money and promises to take good care of me. We were in LOVE. I rode home on a pillow in her lap, never having sat in the front seat before.

OH My the world rushed by as we rode. It was kind of overwhelming for a baby of 11 weeks".

LeeAnna here... he's right. It was love at first sight. I had visited two other breeders who had wild pups, running crazy barking, and the energy was all wrong. I told my husband, this might be another aborted attempt, as we'd also been to the SPCA repeatedly, called poodle rescue, and visited the crazy breeders all to no avail.

Cole was so soft, all silken hair and big eyes and sweet face. And those golden brown eyes! Deep and knowing. His temperament was set from the beginning although he was open to training and a fast learner.


Quiet and thoughtful like my husband. My lab was all me, party girl! Loud, boisterous. She could clear off a coffee table with her wagging tail! Cole was different, our first poodle.

People would ask, is he going to be a poodle?? What!?! Well, yeah, he's going to grow into those feet.

I wanted to name him something French, like D'Artagnan, call him Dart but he misbehaved the day I called him that. I tried out a few names which he also rejected with bad behavior. When I chose Cole, short for Nicholas, as it sounded sleek and suave, he instantly behaved nicely. 

This would be the first of moments where he lets me know without language, what he wants. 

We soon realized we didn't have a pup exactly. We had a standard poodle. 
There is more to the story, but let's stop here for now. 
 This picture of us in Stowe VT when he was still a puppy, big but not yet a year old, hangs on the fridge. 
He has always traveled with us.

Cole has a birthday near mine, he is turning 13 this year. We are both old in body, young in heart. 

15 comments:

Michele McLaughlin said...

Wow! I didn't realize Cole was that old! He looks in terrific shape as well! What a sweet story! Poodle owners everywhere will understand the language of which you speak. We have all become fluent in it :) Great story! Hugs, Mickie

Lisa said...

maybe I will get to meet Cole in person when you come up north (???) Have a great week!

Julierose said...

Lovely posting! I think Cole is just gorgeous! I am definitely a poodle fancier; my Jou-Jou wasn't with us too long as she developed epilepsy--both Mom and I cried for weeks after she was gone...they really do steal your hearts. Cole looks like just a pup! Hugs, Julierose

Glen QuiltSwissy said...

A great story about finding Cole! You both are lucky to have each other. He is such a sweet boy. I love the name thing, he let you know what he wanted!

Maria said...

Thanks for sharing such a wonderful story. Love seeing Cole again as a pup. It reminds me of when him and Piglet would play for a second then just be satisfied to lay next to one another.

Talent Hounds said...

Cole looks great for his age! He was such an adorable pup.

Groovy Goldendoodles said...

Looking good there cousin!

Taryn said...

Young at heart is all that counts!

Wonky Girl said...

I so enjoy reading about Cole, thank you for the story today. We have four SP's, three are rescues, no puppy photos so I can only imagine how they were as pups.
Husband and I are smitten with Standards and have had the breed in our lives for 15 years now.

Unknown said...

What a great story. It's fun reminiscing about the puppy days. :)

Ruth said...

Aww we had a 16 yr old JRT and we babied him more the older he got. My two are 9 which is elderly for the Basset and middle aged for the mini Jack Russell!

PugMom said...

Happy Birthday Cole! You are right between Romeo and Elvis in age. It's hard to see our puppy babies slow down. Love the puppy photos! What a cutie pie!

Kim {Hope Whispers} said...

Young at heart is good enough! Love the naming story. I have always wondered what Poncho would have looked like as a puppy. Chico has been with us since he was 11 weeks old and is going on 15

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing a little bit of your pet family story. I am eager to learn more.

The Daily Pip said...

Always fun to learn the stories of our friends. Glad you have a great home Cole.