My Say
Winter finally showed up, but Spring is just around the corner. I'm not sure if I should be cheering 'Go Winter Go' to get rid of it, or 'Go Spring Go' to encourage it. The Olympics have me cheering 'Go Canada Go' so much that I just don't want to stop cheering. The entire website is pretty much converted over to the new format, with style sheets. It looks and works a lot nicer, whether on a desktop PC or a handheld device. You've probably noticed a reorganization of content as well as style. The Events now have a dedicated page, as do the Contacts. We are planning to add more helper content shortly, little things like ring layouts and equipment inventory lists to assist in planning. If you want to rent for 1 hour for agility practice, it would be nice if your ring layout was prepared in advance to maximize training time.. no?
Papa e-mail

Here we all are in a photo.
Poodle farm Family Photo
Debby & Papa, with Tyme, Gemma, P2, Cherish and Kallysta.
Waiting for us at the rainbow bridge, Buffy, Brittany and Misty

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Forever in our thoughts, OTCh Chercan's Wee Golden Brittany
ATChC RAMCL NGC OJC OAC AGMX  Am.CDX Am.NAJ Am.CGC
Poodle Club of Canada Versatility Award
May 18, 1993 - June 5, 2009
A life lived fully, a love given unconditionally. We'll miss you, but never forget you. 

The Poodle's Lament © Hilary B. PriceThis is a neat comic. I wish I could host the entire strip because it is very funny and very poodle-related. But to get permission to use the entire cartoon here, I have to pay a lot of money in licensing fees. So for now I will show this tiny yet fully attributed hint at what you can see online at
The Cartoonist Group. 
Put "poodle" in the Search Box.

Nero 9
We've been using this software for enough time now to be able to say something constructive. If you aren't familiar with the name, it is a suite of computer programs for creating movies, ripping, copying, editing audio and video files, and burning DVD/CD discs for sharing.
We primarily use it to create timed-segment audio 'singles' for freestyle routines, and producing WCFO video-competiton submissions complete with generated title sequences.
Its good. A little confusing getting started, because there is so much more capability than we need. Once we figured out how to use the controls to do what we want, it is a quick and painless process to take raw camera video and turn out a professional-appearing DVD to submit.
Visit www.nero.com for more info.

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Picture of the Poodle Farm house The Poodle Farm 
If you are driving down Windham Road 6 looking for our place, here is the place to look for. It's a nice old 2 storey solid brick farmhouse, with some updates that brought it into the 20th Century. The fact that we are now in the 21st Century is not lost on us. A few things are on our priority list, particularly as regards energy-saving and broadband. Dial-up is becoming annoying! 

D is for Decade, Debby and Drivin'
Time flies when you're having fun. I don't give her enough credit, but Debby has managed to to find a place for me in her life for more than 10 years. I'm sure it hasn't been easy dealing with a grumpy old fart like me, but we are a matched set of opposites like poles of a magnet ... we stick together and are tough to separate. My D License (with air-brake Z endorsement)  makes driving for a living not only enjoyable but profitable. Debby played a part in getting me that ticket, which I have parlayed into a 15-speed RoadRanger gear-jammin' local and middle distance multi-commodity career. P.S. I'm for hire!

P is for more than Poodles

Links of note

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I was watching "The Wizard of Oz" the other day and was struck by this line. The Wizard of Oz speaking to the Tin Woodsman,
-- "A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others." --

ca. 1998
If intelligence were the depth of Knowledge,
And wisdom was the breadth of Knowledge,
With curiosity as the duration of Knowledge,
How multi-dimensional would you be?
Taken from my first website, found while rummaging through some files on my very first computer. Still relevant it seems. Is there some sort of perversely proportional relationship between age and knowledge? The older you get, the more you realize you have to learn, and the less time you have left in which to find the answers. 

logo © Versatility in Poodles

Here is an organization that shares the same values as we have regarding Poodles. In addition to awarding Versatility Certificates to qualifying Poodles, they publish a wonderful "Poodle Activity Manual" . Versatility in Poodles, Inc.

Teacup Dog Agility Assoc.

Firstly, there is no breed standard for "Teacup Poodles". The Toy Poodle is the proper term, and a small Toy is still a Toy. The TDAA is an organization that provides a performance venue geared towards smaller dogs. Proportionally smaller obstacles that are not only safer but add speed and excitement for the spectators and participants alike. If you have a Toy Poodle, or any toy breed, it is worth a look.

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Tips Sheet - WCFO Video Competition camerawork
I have had an opportunity to do quite a few canine freestyle video shoots and Debby asked that I pass along some of the things I've learned, so that others won't have to make the same mistakes.

  • Know your camera. We have two video cameras. One I like because the buttons are big, you look through a 'viewfinder', and press the front button to zoom tight, the back button to pull wide. The other has tiny buttons, a flip out screen and you toggle 'left' to zoom ... in I think, or was that out ... 
  • Get a good tripod that pans and tilts smoothly and doesn't have that annoying plastic-on-plastic "squeeel" that shows up on the audio track. You should be able to handle the camera controls with one hand, use the other to pan/tilt and not need a 3rd to keep the tripod from moving about while you do so.
  • One man's junk is another man's ... stuff to hide so it doesn't show up in the background for the entire sequence.
  • Burn a single track CD of the song selection, trimmed and timed to match the routine for a clean start/finish to the video.
  • Work from an elevated platform to better capture movement and footwork of both performers.
  • Have 4-5 secs of black screen with a verbal cue at the beginning and end of each take. This makes editing easier. 
  • Make sure the performing team 'holds a pose' at the beginning and end of the routine/music - see the rules
  • Shoot as many takes as you need on film. Then select your best take and burn your DVD using a computer and software to digitally insert title elements during creation of the video.

There are a lot more things I could add. When I get around to a Freestyle page, the tips sheet that we presented at a recent seminar will be posted. Until then, happy filming.

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