"Phoebe" by Lily Feenan

On August 23, 2004, my mother and I drove to Eastern New Hampshire to go pick up our dog. Soon after we arrived, we met the puppies. There were three, friendly, black males and then there was one, shy, apricot female hiding under the couch. Curious, I peeked under the furniture, and just as I did, I saw a little fluff ball running towards my face. Startled, I jumped back as the puppy ran out from under the couch to the opposite side of the room. As an excited seven year old, I ran after the puppy and once again, I was startled by the puppy running toward my face. Little did I know at the time that the little Poodle would be my companion for the next eight years.

A few years after we got her we found out that she had developed minor hip dysplasia. Hip dysplasia is an abnormal formation of the hip socket that, in its more severe form, can eventually cause crippling lameness and painful arthritis of the joints. One thing we have noticed about Phoebe is that she “skips”. When “skipping”, Phoebe relocates her hip with the socket. Now at her age, this is painless but as Phoebe becomes older, she is very likely to need surgery. Things like hip dysplasia are very common with Poodles.

Despite Phoebe’s hip dysplasia, she still likes to dance. Phoebe’s dancing consists of various spins like the one shown to the left. Apart from hip dysplasia poodles suffer from many things. Other health problems of poodles include Epilepsy (seizures), Optic Nerve Hypoplasia (blindness), and Hypothyroidism (many symptoms: inability to stay warm, skin conditions, obesity, etc.). 

A few years after we got her we found out that she had developed minor hip dysplasia. Hip dysplasia is an abnormal formation of the hip socket that, in its more severe form, can eventually cause crippling lameness and painful arthritis of the joints. One thing we have noticed about Phoebe is that she “skips”. When “skipping”, Phoebe relocates her hip with the socket. Now at her age, this is painless but as Phoebe becomes older, she is very likely to need surgery. Things like hip dysplasia are very common with Poodles.

Phoebe is a miniature Poodle but there are also teacup, toy, and standard Poodles. The cost of all these Poodles depend on their size and weight and age. The younger and smaller the puppy, the less money you will have to spend.