When I purchased my first Standard Poodle, it was 1989. Her name was 'Bridgett" Torbec Golden Bridge and she was a sweet apricot.
I was in Palm Springs at a body building retreat and the owner, Frank Zane, had a wonderful white Standard Poodle and I fell in love with her calm, sweet personality. When I left the retreat I couldn't get her off my mind. My next stop was Las Vegas, and I started to search the classified ads and found the only litter of Standards for sale was in Toronto Canada. The funny thing was that was only 2 hours from my home town of London. I called and, after a short conversation, I purchased her sight unseen. It was the beginning of a life devoted to Standard Poodles.
Prior to my first Standard Poodle I bred Great Danes. I loved the breed, but due to the lack of buyer awareness in regard to their habits and size I found my heart could no longer breed them. I still wanted an intelligent and loyal dog as the Danes were but a dog that didn't shed.