b'With a Poodle it is easy to tell if all wereretiredwithloadsoftimeto got the message quickly and started tois well: his tail is up.If it is down, devote to training, we would be best eat his own meals quickly, rather thansomething is wrong. Jaspers tail was at suitedtooneofhermoreactive his usual habit of taking a few nibbles,half mast, which could be interpreted Poodles,apupcalledBlack.We walking away and then later comingeither way, but definitely not as a good wantedafriskydogwecouldwalk back for more.sign.Wefeltpowerless,wantingto long distances with and which would Jaspers energy level also started tohelp him but not wanting to do any- take an active role in family life for our rise. As a pup, Nikita needed lots ofthing to further his suffering. Then I benefitandJaspers.AndJeanette exerciseandnumerouslongwalksrecalled a story of a coworkers old and wanted a dog she could train for pet each day. Initially, Jasper was reluctantfrail Boxer, which got a new lease on therapy, a pursuit that brings great joy togoalongandwouldhavetobelifewhenasmallpuppywasintro- and fulfillment to her life. And so, a coaxed to get started. Gradually, Jasperduced into her life. She gained a year week later, Nikita came into our lives. became more and more eager to joinofenjoyablelifespan.Ihadalways with Nikita in his walks, and withinwantedaseconddog,andmywife twoweeks,JasperwasabletokeepJeanettealsosaidthatmaybeanew pacewithhisnewbrotheronmile-dog would be a good idea, not just for longwalks.And,histailwentfromJasper, but for our wellbeing as well. half-stafftostraightup.JasperhadSo rather than subject Jasper to the come back from the brink of death.torment of major surgery we decided When the two dogs were allowedtofindapuppy. Wewantedalocal torunfree,Nikitawouldcircledog,onewhosebreedingkennelwe around,zoominandbitethefurrycouldvisitandwhoseparentswe pom-pomonJaspersPoodletail.could meet. And, we wanted another Outraged,JasperwouldturntowardstandardPoodle,abreedthathad his attacker, bark and lunge, never ablegiven us so much pleasure because of tocatchNikitawhoquicklydartedits spunky and intelligent high spirits, awayandcircledforanotherattack.and its fur, which does not shed. But, Jaspers tail never went down, andAnonlinesearchrevealedthata itbecameapparentthatthiswasakennel about 80 miles from our home game enjoyed by both animals. had Poodle pups for sale, bred from a Lily, a therapy dog in training, with her Jasper, though he was blind, neversireimportedfromSt.Petersburg, teammate Jeanette Himmelfarb. stoppedassertinghisdominance,Russia and a bitch from a line of gun Whenwegothim,littleNikita despiteNikitasspeed,strengthanddogs. When we arrived at the breeders wasa12-lb.fluffyblackballwitha rapidly increasing size. In the back seatruralhome,weweregreetedbythe mouth that would not stop chewing ofthecar,wheretheybothrode,ifpups mother, a white standard Poodle and nipping. But, he was cuddly and Nikitaerredbygettingtooclose,that looked remarkably like our Jasper. playful.Atfirst,Jasperdisdainfully Jasperwouldgrowlmenacingly.IfBut the male, we were told, had been tried to ignore him, but Nikita would Nikita persisted, Jasper would bare hisborrowed from a neighboring kennel not quit poking at him. Finally, Jasper, fangs and bark at him. Nikita got theand was unavailable for inspection. pushed to the limit of his tolerance, message and would back off. Nikita,Wewereshownpicturesand turned around, snarled and wrapped fullofpuppyenergy,lovedchasingpapers,includingmedicalreportsof his toothy jaws around Nikitas neck. lizardsinthegarden,lungingafterorthopedicandotherexaminations. He could have killed Nikita with a squirrels, and tormenting Jasper in hisBut, most importantly, we were shown single shake, but instead kept his jaw playful way. theseven-week-oldpuppies,which pressureevenandinsistentuntil We took both dogs to the beach,wereonlyidentifiedbythecolorof Nikita lay down in submission.From and at the age of 12, Jasper learned totheir collars.thenon,Nikitaknewhisplaceand swim.HelovednothingmorethanWho can resist a pack of puppies onlyneededanoccasionalreminder paddling out to one of us and puttingallvyingtobecuddledandplayed from Jasper about who was leader of his paws on our shoulders to rest whilewithastheyjumpedandlickedout their pack. But Nikita was driven by wecarriedhimaround.Thoughhefaces?Wewereinterviewedbythe his appetite and could not resist trying couldnotsee,hecouldreadilyfindowner, who felt that because we had tosnitchfoodfromJaspersbowl. us by listening to our call or sniffingexperience with a standard Poodle and Despite his infirmities and age, Jasper for us. 56THE NEW BARKER www.TheNewBarker.com'