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About Us: My Story with the Isle of Standard Poodles

Joellen

When I purchased my first Standard Poodle in 1988, she was a sweet apricot named Bridgett Torbec Golden Bridge.

I was in Palm Springs at a body-building retreat, and the owner, Frank Zane, had a wonderful white Standard Poodle. I fell in love with her calm, sweet personality.

I couldn’t get her off my mind when I left the retreat. My next stop was Las Vegas, where I started to search the classified ads and found that the only litter of Standard Poodles for sale was in Toronto, Canada.

The funny thing was that it was only two hours from my hometown in London. I called, and after a short conversation, I purchased her sight unseen. It was the beginning of a life devoted to Standard Poodles.

Before my first Standard Poodle, I bred Great Danes. I loved the breed, but I found my heart could no longer breed them due to the lack of buyer awareness regarding their habits and size. I still wanted an intelligent and loyal dog, like the Danes, but a dog that didn’t shed.

I also wanted a dog that would be protective, but not to the extent that I had to worry when neighbours or children came into the yard. After owning Bridgett for over a year, I decided I wanted to breed Standard Poodles. I was on the hunt for a stud.

I found the perfect dog from Lavia Kennels, and he had his Canadian Champion. His name was “Omar” Ch. Lavia’s Obvious Choice. He received his champion in just three weekends when he was 10 months old. He was handled by Peter Scott of Guelph, Ontario. Omar and I both loved and needed each other equally. He had a wonderful pedigree and was the smartest, kindest, and most loyal dog I had ever had the pleasure to own. He also had amazing social skills.

My goal was, and is, to raise healthy, affectionate poodles. I also want “forever homes” for all my wonderful puppies to go to. To ensure this, I practice the following:

  • Study the characteristics and development of Standard Poodles
  • Socialize all my puppies with lots of love and attention
  • Crate training
  • Have non-breeding contracts
  • Potty training starts at four weeks old on artificial turf over a tray 
  • Stair training starts at six weeks old with a couple of steps
  • Raise all pups in my home
  • Return policy
  • Guarantee