30 Chic Days - Day Five

Day 5: Breaking News

In the back of my mind, my ideal French girl Sabine walks her poodle along the Seine river and often sits outside a cafe with her black coffee, poodle at her feet. After all, what is more French than a pet poodle? I even mentioned poodles in my make-believe magazine interview when I first started this blog.

I knew I would never have a poodle though, no matter how stylish I thought they were. The reason is that I could never have a 'bought' pet, when there are so many unwanted ones that are waiting for a home at rescue shelters. And in my days of volunteering at the SPCA (every month for four years until we opened our shop) I never saw a poodle in the dog adoption area once. Mostly they were bigger dogs, and the little ones were snapped up immediately.

A customer in our shop on Monday of this week was carrying the most delightful tiny toy (more a teacup really) poodle as she was trying on shoes. I fell in love with the wee dog but told her what I've just told you, no fancy bred dogs, only rescued ones etc. Not judging her, just said I couldn't do it.

She then told me about an organisation called Poodle Rescue. Can you believe such an entity would exist? Apparently they deal with poodles that need to be rehomed due to situations such as marriage breakups, changed circumstances and elderly owners not being able to care for them anymore.

I asked her to keep me in mind for the future as that sounded like it could be something I could do one day.

Well.

Yesterday this same lady called me to say the Poodle Rescue person had called her to ask her if she knew anyone that could give a home to a 12 year old small poodle whose elderly owners had gone into hospital. What she was worried about was the owners had already surrendered him to the SPCA who were planning to put him to sleep despite his good health, because they considered twelve too old to rehome.

Naturally I could not let this happen, and luckily my husband agreed. So this morning I met with the Poodle Rescue woman and the lovely lady who introduced us, at the SPCA to uplift little silver poodle Atlas.

Here we are blogging about it tonight.


Poor little Atlas has had a big day (a big week really, spent at the SPCA on death row) and is quite tired. He really is a sweet boy, so gentle and affectionate. If he could spend all day asleep on someone's lap he'd be happy.

You will note he doesn't look particularly poodle-ish, because he hasn't got the traditional poodle grooming with short cropped bits and longer bits like a top-knot on the head. I think he looks really lovely with a short clip all over, but I reserve the right to change my mind and have him made over into something worthy of a pen drawing on the cover of one of Mireille Guiliano's books. If you've got a lovely curly coat, why not have a little fun with it I say.

And he gets to be a shop dog too! Atlas will be travelling into work each day with us. He will have a little bed out the back, and can venture into the shop once he gets used to his surroundings. We have a grass lawn out the front, and a park (with a fenced leash-free area) just around the corner.

Some days I believe in serendipity more than others. Today was a good day for combining French Chic fantasies and helping a homeless dog.

Normal programming for 30 Chic Days will resume tomorrow.