APAW – Poodle Pups for Working Roles

Autumn was originally placed as a puppy-back to the stud owner of our A litter, Natalie of Poodles de Grenier, and she went to live in a doting guardian home in Chicago. She is a sweet, social, confident, athletic dog. Autumn had been an excellent breeding candidate and had been kept intact but not health tested or bred – when we realized that neither of our keepers from the A litter could be bred and that our wonderful dam Harmony was spayed without a second litter, arrangements were made at the last moment for us to bring Autumn here at 6.5 years old to attempt a litter to continue the line. She was already in standing heat when she arrived and we were able to get her eyes cleared and submit for genetic testing but hip and elbow x-rays were not an option prior to deciding whether to mate her or during potential pregnancy, and for accuracy not recommended until at least 6 weeks post-weaning (at which time she’d have long moved back to her family); fortunately we had tested a significant number of close relatives at that point and all had normal results (including 3 additional siblings not listed on OFA), so the risk felt worth taking rather than ending the line. She had a fantastic litter of 10 puppies, most of whom have been fully health tested (all passing results) and have all gone on to do wonderful things from service and therapy work to performance and conformation and breeding careers, including her daughter Lacee (INT-CH NI NC AI AC NS PTM PTE U-GRCH APAW’s White Lace And Promises, owned and loved by Becky of Croton Pines Poodles) finishing 2018 as the #2 UKC Standard Poodle.

Autumn has overall been a very healthy dog, other than a bout of pneumonia at 12.5 years old.